OPINION: North’s Call For Parliamentary System Hypocritical

A few days ago, news filtered into the public space that some 60 members of the Nigerian House of Representatives (mostly northerners) who operate under the name ‘The Parliamentary Group,’ had introduced a bill on the floor of the House to push for Nigeria’s return to the parliamentary system of government; their reason for the call being that the presidential system of government is too expensive and allows the president too much carte-blanche that sometimes gets to his head and prompts him to make wrong decisions. According to Abdulsamad Dasuki, spokesperson of the group, “the Nigerian president appears to be one of the most powerful presidents in the world,” and that for that reason, the presidential system should be abolished and replaced with the parliamentary system.

The group then went on to project a timeline during which the Constitutional amendment needed to engineer the said transition is expected to be consummated, and they chose 2031 as their due year.

Then, on Thursday, eminent Kano businessman and elder statesman, Alhaji Aminu Dantata, also lent his voice to the call for the adoption of parliamentary rule as, according to him, it would help to launch Nigeria on the path to the much-needed economic growth. His call came as a surprise to many political observers who consider him to be quite indifferent to issues of politics, and as was expected, many critical thinkers and leaders of thought then went on to question the rationale behind the idea of parliamentary rule being the much-touted panacea to Nigeria’s economic crisis.

Now, the call for the re-introduction of parliamentary rule in Nigeria, according to political pundits, is not even the crux of the matter as it were. What appears to be the bone of contention here is the timing of the call. Why now? Why did the North wait until now to make such a controversial call? Does the timing of the call have anything to do with the North’s perceived restlessness and discomfort whenever power is not resident in its domain? Would the aforesaid legislators have mustered the effrontery to move such a contentious motion were Buhari or any other northerner to be in power? The North always finds it convenient to criticize and recommend solutions to a government that is not led by its own, but turn a blind eye and lose its tongue when its kith or kin is at the helm of affairs.

Why didn’t the North recommend the introduction of parliamentary rule in 2019 after Buhari had clearly shown his incapacity to lead Nigeria? Maybe if they had raised their concerns while Buhari was yet to get his second 4 years (which even turned out to be more disastrous than the first), they probably would have saved Nigeria from the quagmire in which it currently finds itself. If the North was this keen about seeing Nigeria blossom economically and prosper beyond leaps and bounds, why then did it not draw Buhari’s attention to the devastating effects of his programs and policies? Even after every other region has called out Buhari for his abysmal performance while serving as president, the North is yet to say anything about the poor stewardship of its illustrious son; if anything, the northerners even eulogize him and adore him the more. It was this silly and unsavoury behaviour of the northerners that prompted Dr. Chikwe Eze, a public affairs analyst, to question the true intentions of the North towards Nigeria. How does a region celebrate one of its own who failed woefully as its representative? Does it mean that the North does not care that Buhari performed the worst since Nigeria has been having Northern presidents? Does the North not think that compared to Umaru Musa Yar’adua (another illustrious Northern son and a kin of Buhari’s), Buhari did not achieve any feat that is worthy of celebration and commendation? Dr. Eze has asked if the North will agree to have Buhari as its president were it to be a separate entity from Nigeria.

It was under Buhari’s watch that the naira began to die the death that has consumed it. It was at his behest that over 27 trillion naira was printed by the Central Bank of Nigeria and shared to state governors and other politicians with which they bought up almost all the dollars in circulation. That, according to critical opinionists and financial analysts, was the origin of the downfall of the naira and the attendant hyper-inflation that has engulfed Nigeria.

Has the North ever really been concerned about the welfare and wellbeing of Nigeria? Has the North ever ventured into any national transaction that was not for its parochial and primordial interests? How patriotic is the North? A region that has been in power for most of Nigeria’s post-independence years but that has nothing to show for all its years of stewardship, and that is still as power-hungry as the other regions that have never smelled the corridors of power. What really does the North want with Nigeria? It’s indeed high time Nigerians started to question the motives and intents of its constituent nationalities. Hypocrisy is an ill wind that blows no one any good. If Nigeria changes for the better, every of its constituent ethnic group and nationality will enjoy the dividends of its improvement. There should be a deliberate and concerted attempt at rescuing the soul of Nigeria. A nation that sits on the precipice does not need charlatans and noisemakers playing around its powerhouse. If the Northerners could condone Buhari’s abysmal performance and stay mum throughout the 8 harrowing years he held sway as president, then they can as well stay put now, after all, it was the same Buhari that paved the way for Tinubu’s emergence. What is good for the goose is also good for the gander!

Nwachukwu is an Abuja-based journalist and media consultant. He can be reached at [email protected]

Disclaimer: This article is entirely the opinion of the writer and does not represent the views of The Whistler.