Politics

PDP governors demand restructuring, devolution of powers to state

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Governors elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday, demanded the devolution of powers to states, following the heightening tension and insecurity across Nigeria.

The governors who issued a communique at the end of a meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum in Ibadan, the Oyo state capital, deliberated on worsening insecurity, thereby asking President Muhammadu Buhari to sign an executive bill to the National Assembly on the amendment of the Nigerian Constitution.

As a solution to the raging farmers-herdsmen clashes, the governors also backed the decision of the southern governors on open grazing and restructuring.

Seventeen governors in the southern region, in a communiqué at the end of a meeting in Asaba last week, banned open grazing and nomadic pastoralism across the South.

Part of PDP governors’ demands was also an urgent meeting of the Nigerian Police Council on the implementation of strategies to combat the recurring attacks on police officers, while urging the federal government to make their welfare its priority.

They further called on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to make policies that will foster national unity and cohesion.

Read the full communique below:

The PDP GOVERNORS’ FORUM met in Ibadan, Oyo State on Monday, 17th May 2021, further reviewed the State of the nation, particularly, practical next steps to take to advance the conversation on the worsening security situation and collapsing economy of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. At the end of the one-day consultative meeting, the Forum, issued the following Communique.

1. The meeting called on Mr President as the Chief Executive Officer of Nigeria and Commander in Chief of Nigerian Armed Forces to immediately send an Executive Bill to the National Assembly to amend the Nigerian Constitution to devolve more powers to the States with respect to security arrangements culminating in some form of State Policing and the general security architecture.

2. In the interim, Mr President should summon an immediate meeting of the Nigerian Police Council, which comprises Mr President and all State Governors and other critical stakeholders to evolve and implement strategies to combat the present threats to our union, especially with respect to policing. The meeting agreed that the Police Force still remains the appropriate institution to secure our democracy and should not be subjected to personal attacks. The welfare, training, equipment, funding of all security agencies should be given priority.

3. The meeting supports the earlier position taken by the Nigeria Governors Forum, Northern Governors Forum and recently by the Southern Governors Forum to adopt ranching as the most viable solution to the herders/farmers clashes in Nigeria; the restructuring of the Nigerian federation to devolve more powers and functions to the States; and reform of various civil institutions to achieve efficiency and equity for all sections of Nigeria.

4. The meeting enjoins all Nigerians to work together to achieve peace and harmony with one another, devoid of discrimination based on ethnicity, religion and other cleavages. To this end, the meeting called on the incompetent and rudderless APC Government to take bold and deliberate steps to de-escalate and lower tensions in our country, and concentrate on projects and policies that will enhance and promote national unity and cohesion.

5. The meeting re-iterated our earlier call for the National Assembly to expedite action on the passage of the Electoral Act that will ensure a free and fair election, including provisions for electronic accreditation and electronic transmission of votes.

6. The meeting thanked the Host Governor, His Excellency, Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for being a gracious and wonderful host, and congratulated him for the many landmark developmental projects he has executed, and urged him to continue to work with all stakeholders in the South West Zone to ensure that PDP takes over majority of the States in the Zone.

Politics

Restructuring means allowing youths take over leadership of Nigeria – Yahaya Bello

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Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state, has said the best way to restructure the country is to allow Nigerian youths to take over the leadership of the country.

He made the comment on Friday during a Channels TV programme, ‘Politics Today’, while reacting to the recent resolve by the Southern Governors.

Recall that 17 southern governors under the aegis of Southern Nigerian Governors Forum, SNGF, on Tuesday, unanimously called for the restructuring of the country to put the current agitation for secession to an end.

The governors while deliberating on the current security situation in the region, also banned open grazing to end the incessant crisis between Fulani herdsmen and farmers.

Bello faulted the move for restructuring, stating that the governors are also contributors to the bad governance in the country.

He said: “My definition of restructuring is allowing the younger generation to take over the leadership of this country.

“In some quarters where the restructuring is sounding so loud, looking at history and performances, how have they been able to perform when they were given positions of authority in this country?

“Those of us that are still in authority today, how have we been able to implement programs that can benefit the lives of the people?

How much have we taken the people seriously, how much have we accounted for what we have been entrusted with?”

Politics

Aregbesola admits restructuring needed to move country forward

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The Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, has revealed that the current national arrangement is unworkable while hinting at restructuring as the panacea to the challenges bedeviling the country.

Aregbesola made this call on Friday, March 26, in Ibadan, after his investiture as the grand patron of the Nigerian Union of Journalists, South-West zone.

The minister stated that the current structure needed to be adjusted to enable its constituent parts have access to more resources for development.

Aregbesola said, “The argument that the current political configuration holds down the country may be admissible to a large extent and we need to adjust our structure, both politically and economically.

“Nigeria needs to ensure maximum exploration and use of the resources by the constituent parts of the Federation with a view to encouraging healthy competition and broadening the space for mass participation in wealth creation.

Nigerians need to create a Nigeria where individuals can find fulfillment in life, even as they tread the narrow path of honesty, hard work, and sincerity.

“They need to create a nation where justice reigns and no man is oppressed, where merit can elevate to the top and the content of a man’s or woman’s character is enough to guarantee of enjoying the benefits of a prosperous federal society.”

The minister said secession was not the solution to the current challenges facing the country, adding that war would also not solve the problem but rather compound the woes.

He added, “Besides, those who take the precipitate action of resorting to armed conflict often plunge their land and people to ruin from which there may not be an exit option. Nations are often locked in civil wars of mutually assured destruction in which, peradventure one side wins, the victory will turn to ashes because the cost of victory is the loss of everything that was fought for.”

Politics

‘We need restructuring of the mind, not just the country’ – Jonathan

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Former President Goodluck Jonathan says restructuring of the country alone will not help solve the numerous problems bedeviling the country like nepotism, ethnic and religious crisis if Nigerians do not restructure their minds.

Jonathan, who was a guest speaker at the 18th Daily Trust Dialogue held in Abuja on Thursday, with the theme: “Restructuring: Why? How?”, said:

“We cannot restructure without solving issues that polarize us; nepotism, ethnic and religious differences and lack of patriotism.”

Jonathan added that the country must develop specific solutions to her problems adding that Nigerians have mutual suspicion towards one another which must be nipped in the bud before Nigerians can have a better country to live in.

According to the ex-president, “discussion on restructuring will not help except we restructure our minds. Some of the challenges faced at the national level are still there at the state and local government levels, and sometimes even in our communities,” he said.

Continuing, he said:

“We cannot restructure without solving issues that polarize us; nepotism, ethnic and religious differences and lack of patriotism.”

He said that the regional government before the civil war was restructured to 12 states by the then Military Head of State, Gen Yakubu Gowon.

“It was a great decision to save the country from disintegration after coming out of the civil war. Going forward, Nigeria must design a solution in line with her peculiar issues.

“Let’s do our little best in our little corner to make the country great. The leaders and citizens should not lose hope in the nation as the future is bright.”

Politics

Forget restructuring and creation of additional state in the zone.- Walter Obiora-Oji tells Buhari.

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The Chancellor, Nigeria Presidential Project 2023, Walter Obiora-Oji, on Sunday, urged the President, Maj-Gen Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to forget restructuring and creation of additional state in the zone, but ensure the objective of the Igbo to produce the nation’s president come 2023, was achieved.

This is even he observed that those currently clamouring for the restructuring of the country were doing do for their selfish interests, saying anyone talking about restructuring was “merely trying to change the narrative from zoning to restructuring.”

Obiora-Oji stated this during the inauguration of the Ebonyi State chapter of the group in Abakaliki, pointing out that it was imperative for major political parties to zone their respective National Chairmen to the North in their forthcoming conventions, to actualise the dream.

According to him, the only way Buhari will prove that he genuinely loves the Igbo is to hand over to one of their sons or daughters, saying it was the height of marginalisation that other zones had produced the nation’s President since 1999, while the South-East zone remained sidelined.

Politics

Sam Adeyemi feels that Nigeria is not ready for restructuring

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Almost all ethnic nationalities and socio-cultural groups have cried of marginalization and made very strident calls for restructuring, and even produced agenda for restructuring. Even clerics have not been left behind in airing their views and worries about the need for restructuring the Nigerian Federation

However, Sam Adeyemi, the founder and Senior Pastor of the Daystar Christian Centre, Lagos, Nigeria feels that the country is not yet ready for restructuring. He further expressed his concerns and stated that the first restructuring that is needed is for power to shift from political leaders to citizens 

Sam Adeyemi wrote on his Twitter page that “I fear that the life of the common man may not improve if Nigeria restructures into regions or even If it breaks up now..”

According to him, he thinks restructuring requires responsibility on the part of the citizens.

Politics

President Muhammadu Buhari will not succumb to threats and undue pressure. – Presidency

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According to the presidency, President Muhammadu Buhari will not “succumb to threats and undue pressure” , being mounted by advocates of restructuring the country.

The Presidency, in a statement, criticised “the recurring threats to the corporate existence of the country with factions giving specific timelines for the President to to do one thing or another or else, in their language, “the nation will break up.”

The statement by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity Garba Shehu, added:

“This is to warn that such unpatriotic outbursts are both unhelpful and unwarranted as this government will not succumb to threats and take any decision out of pressure at a time when the nation’s full attention is needed to deal with the security challenges facing it at a time of the COVID-19 health crisis.”

“This administration will not take any decision against the interests of 200 million Nigerians, who are the President’s first responsibility under the constitution, out of fear or threats especially in this hour of health crisis.”

He further stated that;

“The President as an elected leader under this constitution will continue to work with patriotic Nigerians, through and in line with the Parliamentary processes to finding solutions to structural and other impediments to the growth and wellbeing of the nation and its people.”

In another statement, the Presidency said those condemning the organised Labour for reasoning with the government by suspending a planned nationwide strike last week are enemies of the country.

The Nigerian Labour Congress (NLC) and the Trade Union Congress (TUC), after rounds of negotiations with the federal government, suspended the industrial action slated to commence on September 28.

The decision was criticised by varying groups, with some suggesting that the decision was a betrayal.

Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina, noted that the attack on the Labour unions was borne out of pain for “traducers of the Administration”, having failed to achieve an alleged plan to use the strike to score political and electoral gains.

The statement said:

“Since Organized Labour toed the path of sense and sensibility last week, seeing reason with the imperatives of fuel price adjustment, and opening a further window of dialogue on the service based electricity tariff, some groups of Nigerians have been dolorous, disgruntled, and disconsolate.

“They had apparently perfected plans to use the strike by the labour unions as smokescreen to unleash anarchy on the land, fomenting mayhem and civil disobedience. But the plan blew up in their faces, and they have been in severe pains since then. They have launched series of tirades against Organized Labour.”

“For some interest groups, their intention was to use the umbrella of the strike to further their whimsical and pie-in-the-sky dream of a revolution in the country. It went bust in their faces.”

“For some others, Bitter-Enders, who have remained entrenched in pre-2015 and 2019 elections mode, it was opportunity to avenge the 2012 Occupy Nigeria protests, which they believe largely devalued the government of the day, and led to its eventual ouster in 2015.”

“The strike that was to have come up last week, they wanted to use as opportunity for a pound of flesh, which they calculated would weaken the government so much, and influence the 2023 elections.”

“For them, it was all about hanker for power, its trappings and appurtenances. Nothing about love of country. They have since then been calling Organized Labour all sorts of names, claiming they deceived Nigerians.”

“The times in which we live-with severe security, economic and social challenges-call for all hands to be on deck, and goodwill and support for government, as it strives to put the nation on an even keel. We commend Organized Labour for putting the country first.”

“Those sponsoring and encouraging discord and anarchy, either for selfish ends, or as revenge for perceived injuries, are enemies of the country. Nigerians are urged to beware of them, as the Muhammadu Buhari government is only interested in engendering better quality of life for the citizenry. Nothing more.”

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