country as outlined in the party’s manifesto.
APC’s
National Publicity Secretary, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, yesterday in a chat with
The Guardian, faulted claims that the party was playing politics with the
issue, said the issue of restructuring the country may not be placed on the
front burner before 2019.
According to
him: “My own take is that every government has its own priority and you will
agree with me that if you have to deal with the issue of Boko Haram or you need
to deal with the issue of the economy that has gone into recession and all
that, you have to get your priorities right. I don’t think it would be a wise
move to add the challenges of restructuring if you have not dealt with the
problems that affect the average Nigerian.
“So when
people are hungry, when people are losing jobs, when people’s salaries are not
being paid I think any responsible government would consider this to be a
priority even while it still believes in the restructuring of the country.
“The issue
of restructuring is never a gimmick. It is in the manifesto of our party. How
can that be a gimmick? That is why I said that the fact that it has not been
done does not mean that it would not be done.’’
Meanwhile,
former Vice President and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC),
Atiku Abubakar, has lauded former military president Ibrahim Babangida for
throwing his weight behind calls for the restructuring of Nigeria.
In a
statement yesterday, he also commended the recent resolution of the APC
Progressive Governors Forum and several well-meaning Nigerians who stressed the
need to restructure and entrench true federalism in the polity.
Saying that
the issue transcends religion and ethnicity, he noted that the convergence of
positions by leaders and stakeholders from diverse regions of the country on
the issue speak volume of the need to ensure good governance in the polity.
He explained
that the agitations for secession would not have arisen if the country had
shown sincere readiness to address the underlying problems that feed the
agitations by separatist forces.
However, the
national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Alhaji Abdulsalam Abdulkadir,
believes that those at the forefront of the calls to restructure the country
were using it to score political goals.
Blaming the
ruling elites for using the agenda to hoodwink the gullible populace to further
their selfish desires, he challenged restructuring proponents to come out with
a blueprint on how to achieve the goal.
If you look
at the issue of fiscal federalism, are we going back to the old three of four
regions or are we going to use the present six geo-political zones to achieve
it? If we are to use the present six geo-political zone, take one of the zones
for instance, which of the states of any of the zones would agree to merge with
one another.
Also, the
United Action for Democracy (UAD), a non-governmental and human rights group
has kicked against the notion to restructure Nigeria as agitated for by some
citizens of the country.
UAD
yesterday at a press conference, moved against the pro-separatist agitation of
the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and the purportedly quit notice by the
northern youths.
According to
the convener of the group, Gabriel Ojumah, “Nigeria has moved from regional
government to federal system of government yet things are not working right:
what we need is not a geo-political restructuring but a change in the ruling
class of the country.”
Ojumah
reiterated that, “should Nigeria divide today, the known cabals in the
leadership of the country will continue ruling in the various parts of the
country hence we still come back to square one.” He added that the masses
should be united in the front to change the current social order and
exploitative ruling class in the country.
Guardian
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