Farooq Kperogi: Nobody can restructure Nigeria in a democracy

In contemporary Nigeria, the term “restructuring” has become something of a “God term,” as rhetorical scholars call words and expressions that instinctively evoke warm fuzzy feelings in people, that galvanise people into action, that are unquestioningly sanctified by a cultural community, that people associate with affirmative attributes, and that people are prepared to make sacrifices for.

Terms such as “democracy,” “truth,” “justice,” “progress,” “accountability,” “good governance,” “transparency,” etc. are traditionally regarded as “God terms” in much of the Anglophone world. They are so universally positive, even if they are vague and imprecise in meaning, that their underlying assumptions are hardly questioned or disputed.

“Restructuring” has emerged as one of the most recognisable God terms in Nigerian political circles in the last few years and is becoming even more salient as the dysfunctions and debilities…