Essential and of critical importance in the process of nation building is a transparently honest, visionary, self-sacrificing, and therefore legitimate and credible leadership. Such leadership assumes the role of Architects, Engineers, and Project Managers of the emergent nation.

Thus, strong, stable, unified, and prosperous nations are built fundamentally on values, and experience has shown that such values are anchored on and sustained by leaders of transparent integrity and credibility, whose very lives encapsulate and personify the values that they seek to propagate in the polity.

Otherwise, such value will hardly take root in the society. When however, such critical values for nation building as leadership integrity, justice and fairness, as well as a high degree of patriotism and sacrifice for the common good, are missing, what we often have is a free-for-all: intractable conflicts, political tension and social discord, the preponderance of violent crimes, monumental corruption, and widespread impunity. Indeed, 4th Century Philosopher, St. Augustine of Hippo declared that kingdoms (or societies) devoid of justice, are “nothing but a bunch of bandits or a gang of robbers.”

What the foregoing implies is that as we engage in multiple dialogue events and public debates on the reconfiguration or restructuring of the Nigerian nation, and what governance structures best suit our context of ethno-religious and cultural diversity, we must pay close attention to the reality of widespread moral vacuity among the political, economic, religious and socio-cultural elite of our nation. As we engage in one more brainstorming session on the future of the Nigerian nation, I ask that we pay urgent attention to, and address very critically the embarrassment of the ‘naked public square’ in Nigeria, whereby criminally minded characters, and alleged gangsters in our midst, are more easily finding their way to all levels of political office, than men and women of honour, integrity, discipline, modesty, patriotism and sacrifice.

Yes, as we engage in one more political dialogue session, I ask that we seriously interrogate the situation whereby our nation more easily throws up for political office, crooked and devious characters, including ethnic bigots and religious extremists, those who regularly manipulate the religious sentiments of the people, those who recklessly exploit the age-old ethnic acrimonies and antipathies in the land for selfish political gain, and the thoughtless others who habitually loot the local government, state or national treasury for themselves and their families, and render the population destitute.

Until we address this anomaly, this fundamental error in our concept of political leadership and the leadership recruitment process, I do not believe that any measure of tinkering with our political structures alone will transform our fortunes.

Nigerians have produced tons of documents from several dialogue sessions in the last 29 years – from Babangida’s 1986 Political Bureau to Jonathan’s 2014 National Dialogue. The recommendations for structural reforms from these dialogue events have been ignored by a succession of leaders. But these previous recommendations must now be considered among the low-hanging fruits from which to start the project of salvaging our failing nation state.

If Nigeria is to be saved, the changes we require to bring about are not superficial, but massive, fundamental, and far-reaching. But in my view the required changes can be summarised under the three broad themes of Rule of law, Equal citizenship, and self Determination or what has often been described as Devolution of Powers, so as to reflect our true nature as a federal state and not a unitary system that is claiming to be a federation.

We must trace our steps back to the federalist route negotiated by the founding fathers and understand that the basis of the existence of Nigeria is mutual respect for the religious, ethnic and cultural diversities of all those in the union. The 1999 Constitution has vested too much power in the centre and emasculated the federating units.

There is widespread call today that we dust up the 1963 Constitution and amend it for our present-day circumstances. Part of the implications of this may be that we go back to embrace the parliamentary system; that we adopt no more than six or seven viable regions or states, and grant a good measure of self-determination to those regions, thereby reducing to the barest minimum the items on the exclusive legislative list. We need to cut down massively on the cost of governance by merging ministries, departments and agencies, in a more radical manner than the Oronsaye report recommended twelve years ago.

We must now summon the courage to discuss openly and frankly the thorny issues of religion and state of origin, agree on what place if any religion should play in governance, and resolve on whether we want to live under a monarchical theocracy of some sort, or we want to live together as a modern federal democratic, multi-ethnic and multi-religious entity, founded on the principles of justice, equity, equality and mutual respect.

If we are not able to resolve these thorny issues once and for all, I would humbly submit that we allow any geo-political entities desiring to secede, to do so peacefully, before it is too late; for quite frankly, as presently constituted Nigeria is not working for the majority of those who call this place home.

Let me conclude by saying once again that I honestly do not believe that any measure of political or structural reconfiguration can take Nigeria out of the present conundrum, as long as we as a people continue to bear such a heavy burden of ethical and moral degeneracy. To address this situation that has bedevilled our nation, what we require is nothing short of a wholesale ethical and moral revolution.

But can the imperative of such an ethical and moral revolution be incorporated into the ongoing debate on the reconfiguration, recalibration or restructuring of the Nigerian state? I pray that many stakeholders at this and similar dialogue sessions will give the required attention to the much neglected but critical element of leadership integrity for wholesome national development, peace and prosperity.

Concluded.
Rev. Fr. Ehusani, Executive Director, Lux Terra Leadership Foundation, presented this address at the Policy Dialogue on New Governance Structure for Nigeria, organised by the Abuja School of Social and Political Thought, recently.