Nigeria’s dilemma

This is a very important data-point.

Of the 36 states in Nigeria, half have no cabinets as demanded by the 1999 Constitution. Even more important is that of the 29 that were sworn in 105 days ago, only 10, 35% of them have constituted and sworn in their commissioners.

Buhari is bad, but that the governors are being let to virtually get away with murder is also a display of the systemic problem we face.

Our federating units are sick, and it is these people that will go on to become federal whatever, when they have gotten used to bad behaviour.

It also exposes a dilemma — Nigeria’s own internal xenophobia, where someone like me is expected to participate politically in a place where I’m more or less a stranger, while I can’t speak in the place that takes my tax without being told to go home, makes for a bad federation.