From the arrest and re-arraignment of Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB), nearly four years after he jumped bail and fled the country, to the raid of the Ibadan home of popular Yoruba Nation agitator, Sunday ‘Igboho’ Adeyemo, by a joint team of security operatives, it is by all indications apparent that the Nigerian polity is on edge.

Reactions from antagonists – and protagonists alike – have duly rented Nigeria’s socio-political space over the treatment of the two Southern separationists, but no reaction could have been louder than the governors of the southern states coming together to discuss and enforce a way forward for the country – at a time many Nigerians have expressed to be one of the lowest descents in their democratic history.

On Monday, July 5, the Southern Governors’ Forum converged at the Government House, Alausa, Lagos, to discuss burning issues in the polity and how they could fashion out solutions for their region, as answers continue to remain vague at best from the government at the centre.

From the resolutions which were made by governors and announced to the press by Chairman of the forum, Arakunrin Rotimi Akeredolu, who is also governor of Ondo State, it is apparent that the Southern region leaders have had enough of the (in)actions at the national level, whether it’s by the government or from the party the government rode to power.

One would expect that the Northern governors would be the most vocal about the insecurity pandemic that plagues their region. Instead, news of mannequin ban and human rights violations by some state-backed Sharia enforcement agency is what filters in.

Perhaps, realising that those who are most affected by the storm rocking the Nigerian boat are unperturbed, Southern leaders have begun taking concrete steps. First, it was the Asaba Accord, then came the Lagos consensus.

The resolutions made by the forum which was chaired by Governor Rotimi Akeredolu have been met with applause from citizens in the Southern region and even a section of Nigerians in the Diaspora. Reactions on social media showed that the Southern governors are showing the very initiative critics have flogged the federal government for. Whether it is on security, education, economy, policy or bills, the Buhari-led government have simply not met the expectations of the vast majority, with flashes of action seen only when it concerns separationists, amidst calls to do better.

With each passing development pointing that restructuring is the way forward for the nation, the distant posturing of the Federal Government and bandit-ravaged North will only make its inevitability bolder as Southern governors continue to lead the charge – much to the chagrin of their Northern counterparts.

Kola Muhammed

Kola Muhammed has imprint across local and international media. He is passionate about trends in the domains of culture, communication and technology.