As I had stated in the first part of this article entiled "Before the 2019 Democratic Ritual (1)", this piece will be an eye-opening platform for our journey to another national electoral year. In that piece, I shed light on our “Obsession for change and political gullibility syndrome.” Let me state it clearly again, we have a systemic brouhaha that needs serious solution, not by removing one political party or individual from power. In the words His Majesty, Muhammed Sanusi II, Emir of Kano, Nigerian tribes are two: the elite and the masses.

In no particular order, I will list below basic issues that we must address before taking ballot paper in 2019.

- State of residence should replace state of origin

- True federalism through six geopolitical zones

- Each zone must have equal representation in terms of state, Senate, House of Representatives, and appointment

Open government, where accountability and transparency should be enshrined for easier accessibility by the public

- Renegotiation of our coexistence

- Cost of running government should be reviewed downwards

- Leadership re-cycling should be jettisoned

-National goals should be designed for short, medium and long terms

- Cost of contesting election should be reviewed downwards

- Road-map for each zone should be designed and agreed on by the people of the zone

- Cut-off marks and other yardsticks for admission, employment and appointment must be the same for all zones

- Each zone/state must have a separate sheet for civil servants wage-bill, political appointees and elected officials wage-bills, in their monthly wage bills

- Leadership history of our nationhood should be inculcated in our curriculum.

If we don’t address all these issues above, 2019 will be another four-year ritual that will drive us backward rather than forward. It doesn’t matter if we give power to an Igbo man or a youth, as long as the current system persists, our unity will be more threatened and development will be a mirage.

I will make sure I shed more light on each issue to drive home my points in subsequent series.

Let’s build our nation!

•Obi is Lead Partner, Good Governance Advocates.

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