RESTRUCTURING: Clark to Obasanjo, speak the truth or keep quiet

Pan Niger-Delta Forum convener, Chief (Senator) Edwin Clark, has called on former President Olusegun Obasanjo to keep quiet on the current intense demand for the restructuring of the country if he would not want to say the truth.

This was as he condemned the former leader’s alleged position against restructuring and reeled out several reasons why Nigeria must be restructured.
Obasanjo was recently quoted as saying that there was no problem with Nigeria as a country but that the problem with the nation is with the people.

“The answer to most of our problems is mindset change and change of mentality. If we need any restructuring, it is the restructuring of our mindset and mentality,” Obasanjo had said.

But in response to that Clark said, “If he (Obasanjo) does not believe in restructuring, what were the national conference or political conference and national reform conference, which we all attended for? I was the leader of the Southern delegation even though we walked out, what was if for, was it only for his third term or concern for restructuring of Nigeria? That is a question Obasanjo should be asked to answer.

“The truth is that he (Obasanjo) is a leader who wants to impose his will and authority on Nigeria.

“When Senate presidency was zoned to the Igbo during his tenure, Obasanjo ensured that it was not stable, so he had about five senate presidents or so during his tenure. Let him keep quiet. Is it because we have a country where people do not know their right from left and everybody is being praised as a worthy leader?”
On why Nigeria needs restructuring, contrary to the position of Obasanjo and others opposing it, he said, “There is need for restructuring, there is need to go back to the kind of government we had before and after independence until the soldiers struck.

“At present, Nigeria is running a unitary government, a situation where every state first goes to the Federal Government for money. That is not federalism. So Obasanjo is not saying the truth, he knows what to say, but he is not saying it. He is saying there is nothing wrong with the structure of the country, which is not true.

“We want restructuring to correct the defects in the current structure of the country. For instance, Kano has 47 local governments but contributes nothing to the revenue of the country, while Bayelsa, which contributes a lot, has only eight local governments. I think these are anomalies that should be corrected,” he added.

Read also: Stop the fallacy, Nigeria’s unity is negotiable, Soyinka chides Osinbajo

“There should be devolution of powers to the states if the states are going to be the federating units. Obasanjo is wrong to say that there is nothing wrong with the structure of the country, everything is wrong with the structure of the country.

“We believe that the minorities in Nigeria, especially in the north, should have a sense of belonging by creating states for them. Like the Southern Kaduna, the people need a state with headquarters in Kafanchan, which is why we need restructuring.

“We also believe that in every state, governorship should rotate from one senatorial zone to the other to give every section of the state a sense of oneness and participation so that in a state like Kogi, where only the Igalas until recently or Benue, where only Tivs have been producing governors can be checked.”

According to Clark, those were part of the things discussed at the 2014 national conference. He condemned and described as a lie, claims that northern Nigeria was not represented at the conference

“They had 10 men in the three committees from the North, what type of representation are they talking about? Muslim, Christian leaders were at the conference.”

He called on all Nigerians to support Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, adding that “a situation where some few individuals who were never elected by the people of Nigeria would sit down in Aso Villa to manipulate President Muhammadu Buhari’s agenda should not be allowed.”

Vanguard, July 15, 2017

 

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