RESTRUCTURING: Anyaoku bemoans leaders’ indifference to Nigeria’s looming disaster

Former Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has frowned at the indifference of Nigerian leaders over the looming disaster staring Nigeria in the face should the country not be restructured as currently clamoured for by many.

Anyaoku, who said that Nigeria is “sleep walking to a national disaster”, harped on the immediate need for restructuring Nigeria, adding that such “will enable us create fewer and more viable federating units for economic development.”

The erstwhile Commonwealth secretary general spoke at the Akintola Williams Foundation (AWF) 2nd Annual Lecture with the theme, “Re-establishing Nigeria’s Leadership Position in the World,” held in Lagos on Thursday.

“I have consistently expressed the view that to achieve greater political stability and the deserving socio-political economic development in the country, thereby tackling the worsening challenges the country faces in many sectors, Nigeria must restructure its present governance architecture. And it must do so by returning to the true federalism, which our founding fathers negotiated and wisely agreed in the 1960 and 1963 constitution to be the most suitable structure for the stability and development of our multi-ethnic and multi-religious country.

“With the nature and structure of the ongoing agitations in several parts of the country, our present leadership, including especially the senate, which two weeks ago rejected the motion for devolution of powers, seems to be indifferent to the fact that Nigeria is currently sleep walking to a national disaster, restructuring will enable us create fewer and more viable federating units for economic development.”

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Also speaking at the event, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General, Professor Ibrahim Gambari said, “It appears to me, as I hinted earlier, that there is a national consensus on this – to try to preserve Nigeria. It is easy to lead a nation or to organise a nation when everybody is of the same nationality, the same religion, the same language. But the real challenge is to mould a nation out of this multiplicity.

“We have got the riches both material and human, we have to stop being potential. We have to realize our potentialities and earn the position of the leading African nation and one of the most important countries in the world.

“Nigeria’s hope for re-establishing and sustaining its leadership in Africa and the world depends on five critical factors. First, and quite elementary, charity begins at home. We cannot preach abroad what we do not practice at home.”

Despite the National Assembly’s rejection of the restructuring bill in its bid to amend some items of the 1999 Constitution, the agitations and demand for restructuring of Nigeria has continued to mount and dominate public discourse.

 

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