Northern Elders, Afenifere, Ohaneze agree on restructuring of Nigeria

 

BY NICHOLAS ABE

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The major socio-cultural and political groups in Nigeria appear to have found a common ground on the highly contentious and deliberately misunderstood issue of restructuring of the country going by their recent comments.

Following a view expressed by the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), led by Prof Ango Abdullahi, describing Nigeria’s current presidential system of government as “totally useless,” and readiness to engage other parts of the country in the restructuring of the country, the Afenifere and Ohaneze Ndi Igbo have welcomed the development.

Abdullahi, in an interview with Vanguard, at the weekend, had expressed the willingness of the North to return the country to parliamentary system of government as the current presidential system had caused more division than uniting the country.

He said: “Today, we may appear to have a federal system of government, but we are truly not because these federating units are not viable, they are not functional, they are only functional from one point.

“Maybe we talk about the even more complicating factor that moved us from parliamentary that was quite democratic to the current so-called presidential system of government.

“If today I am involved in discussions in terms of how to restructure Nigeria, bring back democracy under a federal system that would allow federating units take decisions that are largely their own initiatives, then we have to move away from this presidential system and go back to parliamentary because the parliamentary system was working.

“You would not be a minister or a commissioner if you are talking about regions, until you were elected from your village. What is happening here now is totally useless.

“I can assure you that the North, at least from my own perspective and the perspectives of many groups in the North, is ready to engage in serious discussions as to how to reshape the Nigerian state to something that is better for not only now but also for the future generations that will be coming behind us.”

We welcome their decision — Afenifere

Reacting to Abdullahi’s position, the pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, described it as a welcome declaration.

Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Yinka Odumakin said: “We welcome their decision as only the enemies of the country would be against restructuring at this point.

“We have to get the job done quickly to extend the life span of the country and create a happy order as we can’t continue this way.”

Ohaneze excited at development

In the same vein, the Ohaneze Ndigbo expressed great excitement at Northern Nigeria’s acceptance to restructure the country in the mode of the Independence Constitution.

President General of Ohaneze, Chief Nnia Nwodo, responding to Abdullahi’s comment said reason appeared to have begun to prevail in the effort to salvage the Nigerian nation.

According to Nwodo, out-going President General of Ohaneze: “At last reason and patriotism is beginning to prevail. I congratulate the elder statesman for harkening to reason. We are on the brink of disaster if we do not restructure; every patriotic Nigerian must harken to this call now.”

READ: Igbos want Presidency not Biafra – Ohaneze

Similarly, the acting Secretary-General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Uche Achi-Okoaga said that it was apt to say that restructuring is long overdue in Nigeria and amounted to overemphasis.

“Restructuring does not connote to turn Nigeria inside-out. It has to do with shifting from frivolities, analogous and straightjacket institutions, and governance structure and to Identify with digital, enterprising, and professing embellishments of the developed climes.

“Insecurity, for instance, look at the number of soldiers we are losing to Boko haram, bandits, or insurgents (as you may have it). This is still in the same era where drones are now used to detect and flush out criminals in their hideouts. If there is any improvement in the security architecture Nigerians have not heard or seen and we just cannot continue to do things the same way and expect different results.

“In the area of elections, we should move away from incidences of ballot box snatching and infer cases and enter the era where Nigerians can open their laptops or handphones to vote for candidates of their choice even their places of work or business while the government would not need to shut everything and everywhere for election.

“To some people, when they hear restructuring, they think it is to change the name North to Nothing or South to Something. I liken the scenario to an instance. Thus, when a building is dilapidated you reinforce or strengthen it but if the dilapidation is beyond repair you pull it down to avert impending calamities.

“It is the case with Nigeria, it requires to be reinforced or strengthened in all ramifications – economically, politically, legally, socially, etc and where necessary pull down completely to rebuild.

“I urge any other person, groups, or segments still sceptical about restructuring to embrace the raging and intractable wave of restructuring in order to save Nigeria from total political disintegration.

“I call on the Federal Government to quicken the steps towards restructuring before the 2023 general elections,” Achi-Okoaga said.