FEDERAL CHARACTER: EFFECTIVE ECONOMIC TOOL OF TRIBAL
DOMINATION
By N. Nash Haruna Esq. | Charleston , SC | Posted October 18, 2008
Federal character is enshrined in the constitution to prevent tribal or regional domination of any government or its
agency. With due respect, its inappropriate application creates mediocrity, inequality, corruption, lack of transparency
and/or competition and above all tribal dominance by the major ethnic groups. Federal character ordinarily protects
minorities, but under the constitution it is operated to protect the majority ethnic groups lack of will of competitiveness
and open-mindedness. The leading ethnic groups have exploited this constitutional provision to their benefits in the
areas of contract award, infrastructural development and appointment into strategic government institutions. Such
actions create a few rich and powerful individuals; increase poverty, ensures uneven regional development and high
incidence of graft among civil servants.
Inequitable operation of federal character could be deciphered from the arrogant declaration of president Yar’Adua’s
proposed Lagos mega city. Whereas the goal should be to empower each of the geographical regions in the provision
of social amenities, such a proposal merely empowers a couple of states and continuously increase ceaseless drift of
young and ambitious men to Lagos . What is wrong if a village in Nasarawa, Katsina, Edo or Delta state is developed
as a mega city?
Even though, the goal of federal character is to prevent tribal domination, it is only limited to major administrative
appointments. Federal character does not take into account ownership of federal companies and who get what or who
get not in government contract awards. For example, if the minister of the federal capital territory, Abuja is from
Ilesha in Oyo State , which is impossible, it means that more Ijeshan owned businesses would be economically
empowered more than any other tribe, be they from Oyo state or other regions as the case may be. That is in a
situation where the minister and director-general or permanent secretary and cronies and their phony companies are
not awarding and performing all the contracts thereto themselves as it is customary in the ministries and parastals.
Government officials as such often positioned themselves as businessmen and award all contracts to themselves
without executing the contracts.
Federal character has no limitation on the power of the executive
in the allocation of resources or even in the privatization and sale of government properties. The 1999 constitution like
a military decree has so empowered the various executive arms of government to the extent that the assemblies are
mere rubber stamp political gathering institutions without any set mind of their own. We have all seen in the last 8
years of President Obasanjo’s supremacy that whosoever heads the presidency, controls resource allocation and
location of industries without due regard to common economic principles of localization of industries and consultation
with the national assembly. Obasanjo in establishing the new gas plant at the boundary between Ondo and Ogun state
ignored this principles by depriving the people of Delta, Bayelsa and Rivers of economic development, taxation and job
opportunities in spite of the environmental impact that gas exploration wreak on these communities.
There is no way these communities would benefit from such policies. The end result could be an endless struggle of
pipeline vandalization and hostage taking as it is now customary in that region. Even the sale of Port Harcourt and
Kaduna refineries was a subject of controversy until the present establishment of Yar’ Adua rescinded the transaction.
Let us call a spade a spade and stop the oppression of the Niger Deltas who lack responsible and selfless leadership to
project their grievances. This lacuna was first reverberated by the past governor of Niger State , Alhaji Abdulkadir
Kure in the wake of 2006 south-south and south-east aspiration to acquire Asoroko rock ego, power and brutality,
wherein he said that south-south had no credible leadership. In any case, the National Assembly that ought to serve as
a check on such executive vandalism has posited itself in the last 8 years as a robotic institution lacking in critical
thinking, but efficient in its struggle for its salary increase and contract seeking as opposed to law making and
ensuring that the well being of ordinary Nigerians is guaranteed by the executive. Therefore, this breeds an autocratic
president who easily empowers individuals and tribes of his interests without due regard to good conscience, natural
justice or equity.
The presidency can effectively empower his cronies through various ministries by ensuring that only his cronies get
the juicy contracts from all the ministries, the minister, director general and up to the last awarder of contract do the
same. So, where lies the federal character application for individuals in private businesses that have no godfather in
high places or do not have political affiliation? They would wallow in poverty, misery and even death whether or not
they result to the devil’s alternative of economic survival, which is armed robbery.
Federal character encourages occultism, as members who are in position of authority are more willing to assist fellow
members. No wonder that there have not been any solution to secret cults violence and rape in higher institutions,
increasing armed robbery, murder and incidents of 419. Majority of people in authority belong to various factions of
these secret cults in their university days, hence their protection and domination of our society. Armed robbers,
murderers, rapists and university cult vandals are the most powerful citizens in Nigeria , because they stand protected
by faceless government officials.
Therefore, Lesser minds are readily recruited and the legions of crime perpetrators just grow on. Recruiters often
swank with pride of crime they have committed without punishment, because of their members presence in high
places of authority. Such members do not compete for positions, but are merely selected on the basis of secret cults
affiliations. If most government officials, including the police are not members of cults, why can’t these problems be
minimized or even arrest and prosecute suspected criminals?
In any case, it is shocking to note that federal government privatization and sale of companies and properties had
never been done in line of federal character. This has deprived poor states like Niger , Kogi, Ekiti, Katsina just to
mention a few, of the economic benefit that should accrue to their citizens. Sadly enough, none of their members in
the national assembly could call for sales verification to determine the state of origin of various acquisitions of these
properties. Legislative leaders are mute to prevent their dictatorial parties from failing to represent them as it happened
in several elections. This is only possible because the 1999 constitution does recognize independent candidacy.
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