By Adewale Adeoye
We cannot run away from addressing the structure. We have to solve this problem once and for all.
Yes, the states are not performing. Yes,they can still perform within the available structure
But the truth is that Nigerians will never realise their full potentials unless we address the defective structure. You cannot keep 50 people in a room and insist they can still manage to have a good sleep but that their problem is that they are noisy and get drunk most of the time.
Awolowo’s free Education policy is classic. It would not have been possible for the entire Western Region if Nigeria was operating the current structure which negates the principles of federalism.
Awolowo’s performance was partly due to the Operating Environment.
His free education was possible because there was nothing like SUBEB or Nigerian Universities Commission, NUC which now dictates programmes and activities for all Nigerian Universities.
NUC was a small department in the Cabinet office of the Prime Minister. Now, it’s a full blown National Organisation with influence over all the 36 states same with the 46 Ministries that we have today who must implement policies in the 36 States of the Federation.
Awo’s Free Education was.possible because of the proportional control over economy, tax and educational policies.
Free Education became a revolutionary intervention in African human development.
When he launched the free education in 1952, the British said it was not possible, that it would fail. The then Secretary for Treasury in Western Region-equivalent of Minister of Finance, said it was impossible.
Awolowo then set up a committee. He got a man from the United Nations, UN Office of Statistics, Adenola Abisola George Igun, from Ijebu Ode, later Professor and Dean Faculty of Social Sciences University of Ife.. The man set up the Department of Statistics in Western Region.
They launched research, survey and discovered 170,000 pupils would enrol in Western Region schools by 1954 when the Free Education programme was to take off.
But by 1954, they discovered 400,000 pupils had come forward to enrol.
Adeigun had based his projection on the 1952 false census manipulated by the British and skewed against the South.
But Awolowo and Action Group did not wish to be disgraced.
How would he raise the funds?
He then introduced SALT TAX after all, every man or woman must take salt. The people paid and didn’t feel any spontaneous impact.
The funds raised were yet not enough.
The introduced taxation for women from his Remo Region, as a form of sacrifice. He also introduced CAPITATION TAX, yet funds were not enough.
He then went around all the communities in Western Region including those in today’s Delta and Edo States.
He asked the people to fund the future of their children. He pleaded with them.
First there was reluctance. In Badagry, armed rebels rose and started guerilla war against the Western Regional Government
Awolowo and the Oba of Badagry went on a boat to appeal to the armed rebels.
Awolowo told them if the policy failed, he would resign.
Communities, convinced, began to offer free services, carpenters,land bricklayers etc to build community schools across the Western Region.
That was the beginning of Community Schools in Western Region.
It was attended by children of cobblers and hunters, haves and have-nots. The idea was that Community school created a meeting point between children of commoners, like hunters, fishermen and children of the noble. They knew and appreciate each other’s fears and conditions. Today, private schools and Community schools have created a huge gap between children of the rich and the poor and a kind of hate and avarice which goes down our streets. The children of the rich,who would eventually become policy makers,never experienced poverty or met collective spirit of the poor, so there is a huge gap of caste which breeds violence and rebellion when the children of the rich come back to rule and introduce anti people policies
Well,to the glory of God, in 1954, Free Education was launched in Western Region and it continued for decades later even when Awolowo left in 1959.
Education is the key that unlucks the door of darkness and lit it up.
The eight years spent by Awolowo remains milestones in the history of the people of Western Region.
Nigeria can do the same. What is absent is EFFECTIVE STRUCTURE
VISION
CORRUPTION and SELFLESSNESS
Nigeria needs to restructure so that each region can grow based on her values and civilisations.
Imagine the entire South West having only one parliament and only 15 Commissioners with a regional and integrated political economy based on Revenue sharing according to derivation, same for the North East, North West, South South and South East?
Nigeria would have been unbottled for the creative energies to blossom.
By Adewale Adeoye
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