voting age can take part in to answer sensitive national questions
thereby guiding policy makers on the direction popular with the
people.
In less than two years, the United Kingdom (UK) has held two referenda
to settle some thorny socio-political questions plaguing one of the
oldest political unions in the world. It is no longer news that they
voted in a referendum on June 23, 2016 to decide their continued
membership in the European Union (EU).
The push for the UK to end ties with the EU had been there for years
until the outgoing Prime Minister, David Cameron, exploited this
agitation in his political manifesto last year by promising to call
for a referendum on the UK's membership in the EU if he would be
elected.
He triumphed at the polls but it turned out to be the biggest and most
uneducated political gambling in modern history. Fifty two percent
(52%) of the voters voted to leave the EU forcing the Prime Minister
who had voted to remain to immediately announce his resignation.
Despite the ripples generated by this divisive plebiscite dubbed
"political earthquake" by many UK-based analysts and social critics,
there are lessons for African leaders and Nigeria in particular.
Holding two plebiscites in less than two years clearly portrays
Britain as a truly democratic union that does not leave all the
decision-making process in the hands of the career political elites
whose judgments are often tainted by selfish motives. Engaging the
common man in a vital decision process affecting him gives him a sense
of belonging and, even if the majority turns out to be wrong, it would
be a collective responsibility. Referendum equally brings wider
perspectives into public debates thereby broadening the understanding
of policy makers and preventing the enactment of myopic laws. It is
the most natural way of gauging public opinions on delicate national
issues in all decent modern democracies.
In Nigeria, there are agitations that have been rocking our unity for
ages. Some elements in the South East are agitating for the
independence of the region due to blatant marginalization over the
years. Absence of seaport in a commercially-oriented area, total
disrepair of almost all the federal roads in the zone as well as
lopsided composition of the present federal government against them
are some instances of this political exclusions.
The push of the Niger Delta people for resource control, agitations
against decades of oil spillage and environmental degradation are
always formidable challenges to every president elected or unelected
in this country. The bloody clashes between herdsmen and farmers in
some parts of the country are another matter that calls for urgent
national discourse. Some States and social commentators are clamoring
for state police, equitable revenue sharing formula and local
government autonomy yet all these have fallen on the deaf ears of our
leaders over the years breeding sporadic violence and tense political
atmosphere everywhere. Issues like these ought to be decided through
referendum.
It is a dubious error that there is no referendum in the 1999
constitution despite series of amendments it has undergone. Ours is
one of the few constitutions in the world that are perpetually under
amendment yet it has not tackled the chronic problems staring us in
the face.
Our leaders should not duck the question of referendum if we hope to
attain the status of civilized nations and move forward. So far, the
only commendable step towards correcting these anomalies was made by
former President Goodluck Jonathan by organizing the famed National
Conference that drew eminent Nigerians from all walks of life and
churned out over 600 recommendations aimed at restructuring Nigeria.
By a twist of fate, he lost his re-election bid to President Muhammadu
Buhari in one of the hottest elections in the history of Nigeria.
Since he assumed office in May last year, the present government is
yet to commit to implementing the report and their body language does
not show they will do so soon.
It is unclear how history will judge the current APC-led Federal
Government should they toss such a holy document into the waste bin.
Our legislators should rise above selfish politics and political
denial and face the referendum question courageously like Anthony
Enahoro.
Indeed, all Nigerians should rise up and push this to the front burner
in every political discourse. It should not be seen as tantamount to
handing a section of Nigeria exit ticket from the federation; there
are knotty matters it could solve. To ignore the wishes of a
significant population of the citizens in any democracy is unjust and
dictatorial. Little wonder Abraham Lincoln said: "No man is good
enough to govern another man without his consent".
--This article is originally published Vanguard
