By Editor
In a startling revelation, Tony Nnadi, Co-Convener of the Nigerian Indigenous Nationalities Alliance for Self-determination (NINAS), has sounded the alarm on the recent push by the Federal Government for Local Government Autonomy, describing it as a veiled attempt to reintroduce the controversial RUGA initiative. Nnadi’s claims, outlined in a detailed article, suggest that this move is part of a larger strategy by the Fulani-controlled federal apparatus to gain control over Nigeria’s vast lands and resources.
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The Ruga Connection: A Persistent Agenda
Nnadi draws a direct link between the Federal Government’s push for Local Government Autonomy and the long-standing RUGA (Rural Grazing Area) policy, which has faced widespread opposition across Nigeria. The RUGA initiative, along with the Grazing Route Bill, Waterways Bill, and National Livestock Bill, have all been perceived as efforts to grant the Fulani pastoralists unfettered access to lands across the country.
“Those who wish to understand the connection between the Local Government Autonomy desperation of Tinubu’s Federal Government and the RUGA that the Fulani has been pursuing by several disguises since the 2015 emergence of Fulani Irredentist Muhammadu Buhari as President of Nigeria, may wish to review this July 2022 NINAS Broadcast to see the link,” Nnadi emphasized.
Federal Overreach and Local Government Autonomy
The crux of Nnadi’s argument lies in the mechanics of Local Government Autonomy. Under this framework, monthly allocations from the Federation Account would bypass state governments, going directly to Local Government Councils. This financial independence, combined with the federal control over Local Government elections through the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), effectively removes any state-level oversight.
Nnadi warns that this shift would sever governors’ influence over local councils, making traditional rulers and local administrators beholden to the Federal Government. “The Control, Loyalty and Allegiance of the Traditional Rulers to the Government as against their own People is dictated by their dependence on 5% of whatever monthly Allocation the Local Governments receive from the Federation Account,” he notes.
The Disguised Agenda of Development and Accountability
Proponents of Local Government Autonomy argue that it will enhance development and accountability at the grassroots level. However, Nnadi contends that these justifications mask the true intent: consolidating federal control over local territories. “While Development and Accountability concerns are hoisted as reasons for the so-called Local Government Autonomy, the sum-total of the situation is that LG Autonomy completely hands over the control of our Local Governments and Communities to the Fulani-Controlled Federal Government of Nigeria,” he argues.
Historical Context: Blocking Constitutional Amendments
Nnadi recalls that NINAS successfully blocked attempts to amend the 1999 Constitution to include Local Government Autonomy during the 9th Assembly. Similar efforts were thwarted for the Grazing Routes Bill, Waterways Bill, and National Livestock Bill, all of which were seen as attempts to introduce RUGA through legislative backdoors.
The Political Calculations Behind Tinubu’s Mandate
Nnadi provides a broader geopolitical context, suggesting that President Tinubu’s administration is under significant pressure from both domestic and international actors. He alleges that secret covenants with the Caliphate and Western powers influenced Tinubu’s policies, pointing to the recent ECOWAS-led intervention attempts in Niger Republic, Burkina Faso, and Mali as evidence of these alliances.
“We saw the Covenant with the West play out in the botched attempt of Tinubu’s Nigeria (masquerading as ECOWAS) to invade Niger Republic, Burkina Faso, and Mali at the wake of the Military Revolutions that swept France away from those locations, occasioning the collapse of ECOWAS,” Nnadi asserts.
The Illusion of Local Leadership
Nnadi cautions Nigerians against assuming that having a Yoruba president, Bola Tinubu, changes the dynamics of Fulani influence. He draws a parallel to former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s era, when the 1979 Constitution, later adopted as the 1999 Constitution, was imposed, entrenching federal control over the regions. “We may delude ourselves into thinking that Tinubu our kinsman is President and so the Fulani are no longer in charge, but we forget that Obasanjo was Head of State when the Caliphate imposed the atrocious, Worse-Than-Apartheid 1979 Constitution by which we are currently enslaved in our ancestral lands,” he explains.
The Call for National Dialogue
Nnadi concludes with a stern warning: Nigeria must engage in a meaningful national dialogue or face potential disintegration. He reiterates NINAS’s position that the current unitary structure is untenable and that the constituent components of Nigeria must renegotiate their terms of union.
“NINAS insists that We Must Now Discuss Nigeria OR We Disperse from the Union of Death that Unitary Nigeria has become to its trapped Constituent Components,” he declares.
The Path Forward: Constitutional Reforms and Self-Determination
Nnadi’s article is a clarion call for Nigerians to recognize the broader implications of Local Government Autonomy and other similar policies. He urges citizens and political leaders to push for genuine constitutional reforms that respect the autonomy and rights of all indigenous nationalities within Nigeria.
As Nigeria navigates its complex political landscape, the voices calling for self-determination and true federalism grow louder. The controversy surrounding Local Government Autonomy serves as a stark reminder of the enduring struggle for control, power, and equitable governance in Africa’s most populous nation.
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