Nigerians are yet to recover from the chagrin and disappointment of how the National Assembly finally annihilated the agitations for true federalism arising from the quest for devolution of power to the federating units or restructuring of the present political arrangement called Nigeria.
But considering our present political setting and make-up, it could be myopic to expect the contrary.
First, the current political gerrymandering that gives the Northern part of the country more political seats and states than the South-South, South- East and the western parts of the country, is a major hindrance to the realization of any meaningful constitutional changes. Our present political structure is like a polygamous family forced to live together under the same roof at the mercies and dictates of the head of the house.The consequences include: the tendencies for ungodly scheming, mutual suspicion and uneven administration of resources.
There is bound to be tension in a situation where about 70 percent of the oil blocs in the country is vested in the hands of people from a section of the country. Imagine where some States have eight or 23 local government areas, whereas another State in the same country enjoys 40 LGAs with the attendant benefit from federal allocation of resources.
The point here is that our system has been fashioned and tailored to favour the political and economic interest of the North than other sections of the country. And this will remain so as long as we continue to operate our present Constitution.
The autocratic Land Use Act of 1998, for instance, is not the spirit of a federal system of government. This contraption was draconically designed to make the ruler have an unhindered access and despotically control the oil resources from the South.
Secondly, the unfavourable official posture of the All Progressives Congress (APC) towards restructuring is sad and unfortunate. Apart from the lonely voice of the former Vice President, Abubakar Atiku, the ruling APC, including even the party stakeholders in the South East like the Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha, are opposed to restructuring despite the fact that it was one of the party’s manifestoes through which it won the 2015 presidential elections.
Thirdly, there seems to be a strong suspicion that if true federalism is  allowed, States may become economically independent and politically powerful which  may provide an easy road for the eventual realization of the mounting agitation for secession or disintegration of Nigeria into regional confederation.
In June, this year, I was flabbergasted to hear an APC chieftain in Rivers State expressing his sentiments against restructuring on the ground that it will reduce the powers and probably unfettered control of the APC-led Federal Government over his State governor, who is a PDP governor. Perhaps, this APC stalwart would have had a contrary view if his party is in power at the State level.
It quickly dawned on me that most politicians would always pursue self-seeking interest and not necessarily the general opinion of the masses whom they pretend to represent.  But, how can one mortgage   the economic future of his State because of party politics? How long shall we continue to promote political slavery in the name of national politics?
This has been the bane of  Nigerian politics and in particular, Rivers politics. The political mantra seems to be, “it is either I win, or we destroy or make  the system unworkable for the ruling party”.
A nation is supposed to be bound by a common desire to live together willingly for common aspiration, culture and mutual interest. But in Nigeria, ours is a “forced marriage” or the congregation of “strange bed fellows” since its amalgamation in 1914 by the colonial masters.
Through many years of military rulership, Nigeria has been managed or mismanaged for over three decades by dictatorian leaders, with a good number of them from the Northern part of the country.  This period was characterised by a culture of marginalization, economic exploitation and unfair distribution of the “national cake”.
The temptation to hold on to power led to nepotism and religious bigotry.  This ugly trend was inherited by the political class and has tenaciously characterized our national politics.
Surprisingly, the agitation for the return of power to the North was sponsored by some Niger Delta sons who believed that the true ‘brother’ must come from the North as we saw in the APC campaign in Rivers State during the general  elections in  2015. I still remember the slogan: “who is your brother”? by the campaign Director of the APC.  Today, that question is still begging for answers.
Jonathan may not have done much to the expectation of his ethnic “brothers”, but he did so much to keep Nigeria as one, especially in his federal appointments and spread of projects.
Apart from willingly conceding defeat and saving Nigeria from another civil war, I am aware of the success of the railway project, agriculture, youth empowerment, investment in the power sector, (which is dropping under this current dispensation), and the ‘Almajiri’ schools, among others.
Notably, the introduction of the ‘Almajiri’ school was a bold initiative under the supervision of the then  Minister of  State for Education, Chief  (Barr.) Nyesom Wike to bridge the educational gap between the North and the South, especially in the wake of the security crises in the North East.
If Jonathan, a Niger Deltan, could do so much for the North, it is expedient by laws of reciprocity for President Muhammadu Buhari to do same and even outdo his predecessor in project execution in the South South. This is the only way we can truly understand the theory of brotherhood outside one’s geographical place of birth or ethnic affiliation.
Back home, notwithstanding the cynical criticisms and sentiments of political opponents, I believe that the quest by the Rivers State Governor, Chief Nyesom Wike to transform Port Harcourt, the State capital, to its enviable and  befitting status as the economic hub and investors’ haven of Nigeria through massive infrastructural revolution and development is heart-warming
I am sure that Governor Wike is in a hurry to leave behind worthy legacies for posterity; hence, his extra ordinary passion for project execution which has earned him the appellation ‘Mr.Projects’ from the Acting President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.
Indeed, the terrifying infrastructural decay and unprecedented level of abandoned projects inherited by the present administration in the State requires such an aggressive approach, bearing in mind that time is of great essence.  The Federal Government can emulate the uncommon style and passion of Governor Wike to ensure that project execution is vigorously and expeditiously pursued and executed within a time frame,   having in mind that repeated blame game and political promises without fulfillment are  no more attractive gimmicks for winning future elections.
I believe that Wike’s all inclusive style of leadership has dismantled ethnic barriers in the State, which has been the main reason for sectional agitations in  Nigeria today.
By all standards, considering its socio-economic importance as the nation’s largest oil producing State, Rivers State deserves a dignified face-lift and federal presence like Lagos and Abuja. Ironically, the reverse has been the case due to its disadvantaged minority political position which has led to its marginalization and exploitation, even though she remains the goose that lays the golden egg.
Damgbor is a director with the Rivers State Civil Service.

Paul Damgbor