THE ZONING PALAVA?

I was sitting patiently in my living room at about 9.45pm on the 28th of October 2010, waiting patiently for the various independent television broadcasters to air their flagship news roundups for the day.

The TV dial was on Africa Independent Television, and i must confess it was not my preferred channel. A combination of lethargy and not being able to immediately locate the remote control, subjected me to the most intriguing 30mins political documentary i have ever being ‘opportuned’ to witness.

On the dot of 10pm, without any warning or introduction, came the crisp, clear, unmistakably northern accented voice of the narrator. His task was to passionately highlight the history, relevance, significance, importance, fallout, and consequences of the principles of zoning of political office positions in our great country Nigeria. This was a strategic build up to the upcoming PDP presidential primaries to ‘select’ the candidate that would best represent the party in the forthcoming elections.
I have always surmised that we have consciously and objectively chosen our leaders through a process that is skewed more towards picking –grapes-from-a-bunch-of-apples type approach, than a process that truly subjects candidates to their level of acceptance, knowledge, skills, technical abilities or know-how. Anyway that’s another issue entirely……..

The political documentary was a very well researched piece, professionally edited, and with a diverse and select array of persuasive arguments for the principle of Zoning as a panacea to the stability of the Nigerian Nation as a geographical entity. In fact, for the less informed and proponents of a peaceful , stable entity called Nigeria, the movers of that documentary piece would have won their arguments hands down. Without a doubt, some of the assertions they put forward made their case look genuine, and a small part of me joined them in sympathy.

The long and short of the whole documentary was.......... it is the North's turn to be president. They have not completed the 8year term agreed by the biggest political party in Africa - P.D.P - .

The first thought that came to me as i followed the commentary was …..
: Is Zoning, the problem that was, and is currently facing over a hundred million Nigerians?
is zoning the antidote to our lack of basic education?
is zoning the antidote to inadequate health care?
is zoning the antidote to lack of power?
is zoning the antidote to the comatose manufacturing sector?
is zoning the solution to the insecurity in the country?
is zoning the solution to our housing needs?
is zoning the solution to rising cost of basic food items?
Is zoning the solution to our moribund refineries?
Please somebody needs to educate me on how when a particular political position is 'allocated ' to a certain section of the country, it translates to meeting the needs of the masses. Though these days am starting to suspect that politicians have elevated themselves to a species dedicated to serving themselves, while the rest of us look on, and comment............... funny, i think that is exactly what am doing right now.....
I cannot really do more than this though. I pray that somehow i can minister to somebody somewhere that can actually DO something.

I think that it is indeed self serving, and an unfortunate insult to the intelligence of the average Nigerian, that some people can reduce the importance of an elective office(the highest elective office in the country), to the level of playing Russian Roulette. The reference to zoning as an indispensible political medication for improving the lot of the country, only serves to propagate ethnicity. It is quite insensitive to argue – as stressed by the documentary – that zoning would help achieve political stability.

What good does it do me if my country is politically stable, and the leaders do not have the wherewithal to design programmes and policies for moving the country forward?
A peaceful country.......starving populace, unemployed youths, dead factories, no power, pre- historic infrastructure.........., but peaceful? This is definitely a contradiction in terms. No form of stability in any guise can take place where the fundamentals for human existence have been eroded and subjugated by the political class.

The argument is like a child who refuses to eat anything except his favorite Rice and fried Plantain with Chicken and salad. Where this is unavailable…no other substitute would do…because the dish is not his favorite. As he grows up, he realizes that the requirement for food is not really in how tasty it is….. or how aesthetically pleasing the meal is, but because he needs nourishment for survival.

Yes, it can be inferred that i am calling the continued bickering over zoning, childish!!

For those who are from the Niger Delta, the continued zoning imbroglio is for me quite honestly insulting. Delta State alone produces over 35% of the Nations crude oil. Do we hear anybody from this part of the country crying to be Vice President? Senate President? Speaker of House of Representatives? Hmm…..come to think of it………
Please realize that the number one reason why people jostle so much for that exalted office is so they can directly control the petro dollars!
Is the Nation's foreign reserves made up of sales from groundnut, or yams, or rice, or cassava, or bitter kola, or onions, or tomatoes? NO!!
It’s OIL MONEY!!!! For a group of individuals from a section of the country to continually propagate and hound us about it being 'their turn' is absolutely childish, a waste of time and effort, and should stop forthwith.

On the basis of resources available in this country and the contribution to National wealth, only the south would produce the President. ..But even that would not be a display of equity and fairness to the geographical entity called Nigeria. It would relegate a whole spectrum of important attributes and characteristics or traits and values that should go with the package of the President of a country.
Our choices should be based on Intelligence, Resourcefulness, Hard work, Dedication to duty, Integrity (Someone that does what he/she says they will do) Loyalty, is God fearing........ and as such ANY individual who possesses these attributes should be in the fore front of those agitating to occupy exalted political offices in the land. Not ZONING….
We need to as a matter of urgency, unite our positions and articulate a vision for Nigeria to take its pride of place among the developed countries in the world! Yes, I said developed…it wasn’t a typographical error. A lot of developed countries do not have 1% of the natural resources Nigeria is blessed with.
The resources on our land are too much for us not to have a very strong voice among the Nations of the world. We need to as a people come together with one voice and consciously chart a course that will objectively and in sensitivity to the needs of the greater masses, channel Federal Resources, and plough them to all the geo political regions. The people have a right to their God given resources… It is time we got off our haunches, and not sit and watch while some others direct those resources to themselves by proxy, because 'it is their turn'.

God Bless Nigeria!!