‘Restructuring not break-up is solution to Nigeria’s problems,’ PDP chieftain counsels secessionist groups

The Vice-chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), South-South, Chief Dan Orbih, on Thursday joined the group of concerned citizens calling for the restructuring of Nigeria in a bid to address the myriads of problems confronting the country.

Orbih, who made the call during a chat with journalists in Benin, Edo State, urged secessionist groups such as the proponents of the Oduduwa Republic and Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) to have a rethink.

Orbih, however, blamed the agitation for succession on the poor handling of the country’s affairs by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

Several prominent Nigerians including ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, the Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka; and the General Overseer of the Redeem Christian Church of God (RCCG), Pastor Enoch Adeboye; among others had last year urged the current administration to undertake the restructuring of the country to avoid its break-up.

Obasanjo was more emphatic in his demand for restructuring of Nigeria, saying “the exercise was absolutely necessary in order to prevent the country from tumbling from the cliff.”

On the agitation for secession, the PDP chieftain insisted that the break-up of the country into smaller entities was not the solution to its problems.

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He said: “I don’t think that secession is an option for this nation because when you go through our history, secession is never the answer.

“There is every reason for people to think there is reason to revisit the issue of the restructuring of the country as it is now. I think that when you have a bad government even the best constitution will not work.

“The type of problem we have now in the country has been compounded by the type of government running its affairs. What we must know is that those who are worried and calling for the break-up of the country are not doing so because they are tired of staying together as one nation, but because of the way the country is being run.

“Appointments seem to be one-sided, appointments seem to favour one section, not even one section but only one state, a development which only captures the interest of those in government.”

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