The Perniciousness of Federal Character, Zoning and Regionalism
The Perniciousness of Federal Character, Zoning and Regionalism – By Azu Obiaya
Section 14(3) of the 1999 Nigerian constitution states “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”
In full acknowledgement of the good intentions of the framers of our 1999 Constitution, as necessary to address the need for balancing the interests of the multiplicity of ethnicities in our country and the disparate levels of literacy and economic progression, I believe that, with the increasingly ethnic-based disturbances, continued balkanization of the country by non-sustainable ethnicity-driven state creation, the acrimonious political discourse that is fueled not by substance but ethnic or regional considerations, the citadel of incompetency and mediocrity that, for the most part, is the civil and public service today, given the related diminished standards, the time has come for re-consideration of the Federal Character requirements. The concept and practice of allocation of federal and state government positions, issues advocacy by zones or regions, political aspiration by zoning, undermines the principle of fair play and unity that is, seemingly, the objectives of the requirement. Specifically, mediocrity, continued ethnic rivalry and balkanization, gerry mandering of political aspirations, regional factionalism, a system that seeks to put geo-political affiliation ahead of performance and qualifications, a polity that is perpetually heated up, are all products of the “fair play” arrangements of the Federal Character, quota and zoning mechanisms.
Federal Character
Section 14(3) of the 1999 Nigerian constitution states “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”
In full acknowledgement of the good intentions of the framers of our 1999 Constitution, as necessary to address the need for balancing the interests of the multiplicity of ethnicities in our country and the disparate levels of literacy and economic progression, I believe that, with the increasingly ethnic-based disturbances, continued balkanization of the country by non-sustainable ethnicity-driven state creation, the acrimonious political discourse that is fueled not by substance but ethnic or regional considerations, the citadel of incompetency and mediocrity that, for the most part, is the civil and public service today, given the related diminished standards, the time has come for re-consideration of the Federal Character requirements. The concept and practice of allocation of federal and state government positions, issues advocacy by zones or regions, political aspiration by zoning, undermines the principle of fair play and unity that is, seemingly, the objectives of the requirement. Specifically, mediocrity, continued ethnic rivalry and balkanization, gerry mandering of political aspirations, regional factionalism, a system that seeks to put geo-political affiliation ahead of performance and qualifications, a polity that is perpetually heated up, are all products of the “fair play” arrangements of the Federal Character, quota and zoning mechanisms.
Federal Character