Nigeria must not gamble with 2019 elections - Gen. Momah

 A former Minister of Science and Technology and one time Adjutant General and Commander, Training and Doctrine Command, Major-General Sam Momah, has cautioned against gambling with the 2019 general elections.

The retired army general, who turned 75 on Saturday, viewed the coming elections as a watershed in Nigerian and deciding factor for her unity.

Addressing journalists in Abuja, Momah said "We must not gamble with it (2019 general elections), it is a most crucial election. It is a year that Nigerians should decide whether to unite or not, anybody that toils with it, we should disown him."

He asked President Muhammadu Buhari and future leaders to emulate former President Goodluck Jonathan whom, he said, set the pace for conducting credible elections in 2015.

The retired general expressed belief that should President Buhari gets a second term, he would lay a very strong strategic foundation for a modern Nigeria.

Backing the calls for the nation's restructuring, Momah said the country could not continue to wobble, stating that whoever emerges as president in 2019 must restructure Nigeria.

Describing restructuring as fundamental, he decried that the country had been doing the same thing the same way in the last many decades without getting good results.

"So, it means that there is need for change either in the way we are doing things or whatever we are doing. That is why some of us have been vehement in calling for restructuring", he said.

General Momah advised President Buhari to have a rethink on restructuring in order not to put up an edifice on a sandy structure. 

He said: "He (Buhari) is trying to build an edifice, but he must have a solid foundation for that and that's why some of have been very, very vehement on that. Some eight years ago, I wrote my book which I said that Nigeria is beyond divorce and that was why I made my recommendation that Nigeria must restructure. We must try and do things differently. For instance, we've a situation whereby 36 states are coming to Abuja, ( to collect allocation), 27 states cannot pay salary, 20 states do not contribute to the pension scheme, 32 states cannot survive on their Internally Generated Revenue, IGR, only four states can survive on their IGR.

"We have a situation whereby more than 20 million are unemployed. Against these attributes, must we continue with these problems. If we have states that cannot pay salaries. We have 774 local government areas, we have 360 members of House of Representatives and we have 109 senators, we have more than 600 ministries, departments and agencies, MDAs, so this is a gamut of paraphernalia of government and do we realize that 89 of our revenue is used to pay salaries?

"So there is nothing left to build our roads, repair our generating power housing and build our rail stations, provide water, provide health care, nothing. The description that Nigeria is an island of wealth in ocean of poverty is very true. Few people have the money they can buy jets and everybody thinks that Nigeria is rich but what is par capital income? So we are poor and we can't continue this way. 

"Since 2007, Nigeria has been doing this failed state alert, that is, we are on the threshold of being a failed state. So anytime we are gliding into becoming of a failed state. We must pull Nigeria off the brink and to do all these things, we must restructure. So, I am using this opportunity to advice Mr President this restructure thing is not something that is voluntary, there is no choice about it. The most important thing is on 12th of December 2015, 195 countries assembled in Paris and signed this climate change agreement. 

"By that climate change agreement it means that by the year 2030, there will be no more usage of diesel, petrol or coal. And you know crude oil is what is giving us over 80 percent of our revenue today. Now if the whole world now decide not to buy our oil, what do we do? Drink, it, if nobody buys what will we do with it? Now, they:re researching on using solar cars, electric cars etc. So, if you ride your petroleum cars today, the spare parts who makes them? Do, the situation is critical I don't understand why somebody will say we shouldn't restructure. It's not North verses South issue, it's an issue of survival of Nigeria. 

"I believe we must look at it seriously and this is why my second book is on restructuring Nigeria beyond oil. I want to alert fellow country men that this restructuring thing should not be politicised. It is a critical thing that must be done otherwise in 12 years time, in 2030, Nigeria will collapse and we may get into a civil war that might take us up to 100 years to get out to. 

"I say 100 years because Sudan has been in war now for 50 years, Eritrea has been in war now for 31 years, Somalia has been in war now for 27 years and these are countries that are less than 30 million in population, less complex Somalia they speak the same language, they are Muslims and yet the war there has lasted for 27 years. So, can you imagine Nigeria with 200 million people with 350 ethnic nationalities with 50 different languages? If a war ignites to civil war, it'll be total. It'll take us to about 100 years to get over it. So, we must not allow that to happen and this is why I say we must restructure."

"The only solution, the only thing that will make us not to get into this mess or calamity is that we restructure and we do it now that there is little money coming from oil so that we will be able to fast track the system. And one thing I have seen about restructuring is that we have to compress our gamut of bureaucracy. If the states cannot pay salary, what are you keeping them for?"