I found this script in my mailbox when getting ready to write my column for the week.

The details of the espousal of the author/s caught my attention and I decided their effort deserves a mention here as they sent me the document.

It is possible they follow my consistent arguments in favour of restructuring as the only way out for Nigeria with assured tomorrow.

While looking through this document it occurred to me that facebook memories popped up a short piece I posted three years ago on November 8, 2014 arguing profusely that only a restructured Nigeria would survive the wear and tear of the bad leadership of this nation.

I had posted that: “If a state governor can build a stadium better than what the FG has, it’s confirmation of the position of people like me that this entity as presently set is headed nowhere until there is true federalism

I have accepted the pessimist tag about Nigeria because every evidence shows me its doomed and wasting its time until the structure changes to incubate progress. It’s only TRUE FEDERALISM.”

I think that would have referred to the opening of the Akwa Ibom Stadium in Uyo then. It was a timely recall for me against those that started listening to us today who argue lame that we started clamouring for a restructured Nigeria just because President Muhammadu Buhari is in power or because PDP lost.

I say it on good conscience that what I argue today is what I have always argued in the nine years of this column about Nigeria because my status as a victim of Nigeria by ethnic identity and class has not changed.

What a coincidence that the same day I got this exciting document signed by Opeyemi Oluyadi for the Restructuring Nigeria Movement (RENIMO Coalition) the document started:

“We are a group of young millennials between the ages of 16 and 35.  We believe our unity as a federation must be negotiated, we believe the only result of un-negotiated and forced unity is always absolute DISUNITY.

We need to correct the mistakes of the military, we need to attain neo-independence before 2020. We need independence from our military taskmasters who gave us the 1999 Constitution to punish the people of Nigeria for asking for democracy.

We asked for democracy, they gave us a military constitution with the guise of civilian document, when I  reality, we are technically under a military rule.

Sir, we need you to mentor us; we need guidance on our project. Please we need the media houses to create columns in their newspapers to talk about NEO-INDEPENDENCE and restructuring of Nigeria. Please, the TV stations should also create programmes to discuss the intention.

The media needs to help us; we cannot win without the media; we are soliciting the assistance of the media to ensure that Nigeria wins at the end. The Unitary Constitution has failed us for 51 years, and 51 years of failure is enough. We cannot continue to hold on desperately to failure.  We need change to this false federalism setting.  The fight against corruption can only start from fighting the corruption of the constitution of the military.

As young millennials, we are not happy with the present constitution.  The present leadership and creators of this faulty constitution left nothing for us. This is not the Nigeria Awolowo, Bello and Azikiwe left for them. But rather than improve on what they inherited, they killed it and gave our generation a dead Nigeria. 

Please sir, we really need your help to read through our attached Brochure, the solutions to our problems as a country are there. It explains restructuring and what next after restructuring.

This is the time to start solving our problems one after the other, let’s solve the restructuring problem, let’s solve the leadership problems, let’s solve the institutional problems, let’s solve the mindset problems.  We don’t need to sacrifice one for the other. This is not the time to leave any problem unsolved. We must solve all problems one after the other.

The major problem of Nigeria is that each generation of leadership came and left the most demanding problems unsolved. This situation had been there for 51 years unsolved, and this present leadership wants to fail in solving in it as well.  We need leaders that invent solutions not leaders that author confusions.

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We need the freedom from a Win-Win constitution that allows each region have what they desire without imposing their will on others. For example, the North prefers unitarism, while the South wants Federalism.

Both North and South should be allowed to have what they want. It would be a ONE-COUNTRY-TWO-SYSTEMS setting – the UNITARY NORTH and the FEDERAL SOUTH like what obtains in China, Hong Kong and Taiwan. You would see more in the Brochure on how we can actualize this noble intention without allowing the North to be hospitalized as a result of committing economic suicide. We uphold mutual survival in our considerations.

This is a generation of solutions, and all these problems must be solved.

We would really appreciate if you find us worthy of an interview on your media platform.

Thanks.

Ope Oluyadi

07038208382.” 

When I downloaded the attached brochure of RENIMO, I found it’s a painstakingly written document of 118 pages. It’s well articulated like a draft document to replace what the body called a military constitution imposed on us by the military by way of making sure the democracy we coerced them to give us would never benefit our intention.

I am persuaded that this body of young Nigerians – between 16 and 35 with their deep articulation must be listened to.

Their lamentation that whereas the founding fathers of Nigeria bequeathed a healthy and workable Nigeria to the leadership that plunders the nation now with a 51 years Unitary Constitution that is grossly unworkable, they won’t stay quiet and watch their own future shut down.

I was particularly touched by their logic that Nigeria can be one country and operate two systems like China and the constituent parts – Taiwan, Hong Kong and Macau.

You can’t beat their argument that since the north loves unitarism and the south federalism, the two sides can have what they want and ultimately ensure there is peace, cohabitation and progress of the nation.

I have vowed to myself to read this document, digest it and possibly make interventions through the media and maybe this column to give them a possible voice.

How proud I would be to know that there has come a generation of young Nigerians who are ready to intellectually dare the principalities of evil rule, argue their stance, force a change in the direction they want and get Nigeria to work for their generation.

I have always feared for a kind of Nigeria my children, whose oldest are just in their mid teen would have.

I wish Opeyemi’s RENIMO gives me that hope and assurance today and beyond offering media support, I would also encourage my kids when they get to 16 to join them, fight with them, tussle with them to oust this bad system and give themselves a tomorrow.

Welcome here RENIMO.