All progressives Congress (APC) has adduced the
need to fix the nagging problems of insecurity and the recession as
reasons for the delay in restructuring the 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.