…present 40 policy, and decision items to FG to solve Nigeria’s problems

By Joseph Erunke, Abuja

Professors of all disciplines in the Nigerian university system and research institutes have presented a manual for the short and medium-term development of Nigeria, particularly from 2024 to 2032.

The manual, tagged: “The Abuja Papers” contains 40 items on the policies and decisions to be taken by Nigerian governments within the short and medium-term periods.

Operating under the aegis of the College of Professors in Nigeria, CoPIN, the professors explained that their action was an intervention to save the country, following what they described as “the ugly situation in which Nigeria is writing its history steadily backwards in all ramifications since independence.”

The National President of CoPIN, Prof. Otoabasi Akpan, said this at a news conference held in Abuja to mark the introduction of the College to the world and the unveiling of the first edition of the College’s publication, titled:”The Abuja Papers: Manual for Short and Medium Term Development of Nigeria,2024-2032.”

He described the group as a non-political,non-religious,non-racial and non-gender learned society of professors for discussion and expression of the voice of professors in national and international developments that benefit Nigeria and particularly the Nigerian educational system.

He said:”After watching the ugly situation in which Nigeria is writing its history steadily backwards in all ramifications since independence,we have come to the conclusion that if we come together as professors to shape decisions and policies of governments of Nigeria,the country would excel in all of its undertakings, including vision and mission.

“In terms of geographical particulars, population and natural resources which are all elements of natural sources of power of nations,Nigeria possesses them all in superfluous quality but there are observable critical gaps that have made the country not to become a strong and a powerful state.

“These can be attributed to a lack of agreement on common fundamentals;lack of principles;lack of statesmanship,lack of executive capacity;lack of knowledge of the evolution of the Nigerian state and lack of ideas on the future of Nigeria. Added to these are the questions of the absence of elite consensus and inability to spice up democratic traditions with traditional Nigerian models which had been effective in the pre-colonial era.

“The challenges as listed, though not exhaustive,have combined to institutionalize in Nigeria a weak state syndrome. This concerns lack of the most fundamental of state attributes such as the existence of effective institutions,a monopoly of the instruments of violence and consensus on the idea of the state.

“As teachers and researchers of the highest order,it is our duty to help our country to stop (dead) in its tracks the uncanny jinx pertaining to Nigeria writing its history backwards as a result of absence of resourceful leadership and statesmanship in its political firmament.”

Regretting that the country was operating its history backwards,he said the Nigerian jinx should stop with the Tinubu administration for “progressive rhyme to henceforth replace it and not a continuation of the previous norms and misfortunes such that it should no longer be observed further that Buhari rule was better than the Tinubu leadership.”

Speaking further,Prof. Akpan,who was in company of some professors and executive members of the group, said:”Our commitment in reversing and asphyxiating the jinx is to engage periodically in the publishing of The Abuja Papers,where issues concern the Nigerian federation as a whole and where they concern any particular state or local government area,the publications shall go by the names of the state capitals or headquarters of the local government areas in question.”

According to him,”The first edition of The Abuja Papers is on the immediate needs of Nigeria to retool and make way for political stability, social harmony, enthronement of justice and development of enduring economic development”, adding that “it covers short and medium terms of between 2024 and 2032.”

On how to achieve immediate political stability and development, Akpan explained that the College developed approaches to invoke the spirits of statesmanship and citizenship in Nigerians such that they can rise like one man to change the present narratived and this implies payment of appropriate taxes in addition to keeping in the Nigerian banks tens of billions of foreign currencies that they keep in their homes,offices, portmanteaux, shops and foreign countries.”

“The approaches would facilitate the development capacities of Nigeria resourcefully,if all tiers of government alongside all Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) are compulsorily directed by the Presidency to develop Thirty Years Plans of Action, that is, Development Blueprints, within the short term period of this Manual and if they fail to do so they should cease to
partake in the proceeds of the Federation Account and Internally Generated Revenues (IGRs) in Nigeria,”he said.

On the desire for effective governance, he said the college “dentified four instruments that Nigerian governments should readily employ, namely, Executive Order, Doctrine of Necessity, Political Solution and Disruptive Strategy to fast tract development.”

He explained further:”On immediate desire to stabilize the polity, we have recommended a Comprehensive Presidential Amnesty.

“The conditions for the declaration of the presidential pardon should include the following: Expansion of court processes such that every political ward has customary court or its equivalent, every local government area has a High Court, every federal constituency has a High Court of Appeal Court and every region a Regional Supreme Court.

” The Supreme Court of Nigeria (SCON) be split into two as Supreme Court and Constitutional Court.”

He called for the introduction of what he referred to as ” Unexplained Wealth Act” and the “The establishment of Anti-Corruption Court of Justice ” besides an An Act that all legal proceedings and judgements in any court in Nigeria, including administrative panels must take a maximum of thirty days.

“On corruption, we have recommended the establishment of the AntiCorruption Court of Justice,”he added.

He spoke further:”On the immediate desire to pull Nigerians out of poverty, we have recommended the turning of all Nigeria’s 9555 political wards into National Development Districts (NDDs) where every odd year, the sum of N10 million is given as loans on low interest to inhabitants for capital formation and personal development.

” The Tinubu magic of expanding the Local Government Administration while he was the Governor of Lagos state should be recreated in Nigeria. It will be recalled that Tinubu as Governor created 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) from 20 Local Government Areas of the stateand these political units assisted tremendously in broadening the political space for rapid development in Lagos state.

“On local government governance, we have recommended that since it is a local affair, the federal government should only guarantee its democratic existence where among other things INEC should conduct elections and set out time tables for such as done with federal and state elections but the State Houses of Assembly should provide Local Government Charters for the operations of the system in the states and that the number of local government areas in the constituent states should be a minimum of 36 and maximum of 50 per state. The number per state should depend on the needs of the state. This should be clearly outlined in the constitution.

“On considerations of justice for the agitators of secession in Nigeria, we have recommended on the one hand that the federal government should expand the geo-political zones from 6 to 12 to align with the twelve states structure of the Gowon Administration and their headquarters should be the capital cities of the erstwhile twelve states. They should all be clothed with administrative structures.

“On the other hand, we have recommended that in these 12 geo-political zones the federal government should initiate the creation of 12 smart and or global cities; six in the North (Arewa, Central Hills, Guinea, Kanem, Rima and Sudan) and six in the South(Badagry, Biafra, Bendel, Enyong, Oduduwa and Oil Rivers).

“The cities should be developed at the intersections of two or more states within the region with each state contributing a minimum of 25 square kilometres. All of the cities should be designated “International”.

“In the Biafra international city, the federal government should gift it with a 37 storey building to be called Unity Dome with each floor named after Abuja and the 36 states of Nigeria. The building, which should be massive enough should be used for international commercial engagements linked to malls and international markets with the spaces for commerce shared on a pro-rata basis to citizens of 36 states of Nigeria and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.

“The Dome should be seen as embodying repair of historical heritage in form of the phenomena of abandoned properties in which most of Ibo people lost assets during the Civil War.”