A foremost Yoruba monarch, the Allafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi has stressed the need for restructuring of the country as soon as possible.
But the immediate past Governor of Jigawa state, Sule Lamido, says what Nigeria needs as a nation, is more of unity, progress and the rule of law rather than restructuring or related programme.
He made the position known in a memorandum he presented on behalf of traditional rulers from Oyo, Ogun and Lagos state at the All Progressives Congress (APC) South-west zonal public meeting on true federalism, held in Ibadan.
The Alaafin declared that this became necessary to avoid what happened in the defunct Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) and other countries such as Romania.
Oba Adeyemi maintained that the present structure in Nigeria “where state with the highest population (Lagos) with over 20 million people is having only 20 local governments while Kano with six million population is having 44 local government areas is unjust and unfair.”
The Alaafin stressed that those in power should heel the calls from various quarters to restructure the country, saying “countries such as USSR and Romania were once in this kind of situation but the leaders turned deaf to the call which led to forced break-up.”
“What I am saying is that if we did not restructure Nigeria what happened in USSR may happen, USSR was broken up with force. Romania also was divided through force. That is the way their leaders were doing. 36 states workers are not being paid, the governors cannot pay them. What causes this was the killing of political leaders in the first republic which was sectional and unjust.
“Ironsi scrapped the federal structure and replaced it with unitary; since then we have not come back to true federalism. Until we go back to the glorious days of marketing board, there is no need for Federal Ministry of Culture, federal government has no culture.
“We are concentrating too much power at the centre. The present state of things can only be resolve through a summit like this.
Present at the meeting were the Deputy Governor of Oyo state, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo; Speaker of the House of Assembly, Hon. Michael Adeyemo, and the Olubadan of Ibadan land, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji.
Lamido disagrees
But in a different position on restructuring, former Governor Lamido of jigawa state is of the view that mere structuring devoid of effective and positive administrative structure and policy, cannot solve the numerous problems Nigeria presently faces, except when it is morally and democratically done without bias.
Lamido who stated this while addressing his supporters from the neighbouring states of Bauchi in Bamaina over the weekend, warned that the APC administration lacks credibility and professionalism to keep Nigerians together.
According to him “there is no way Nigerians that can be convinced again on falsehood like in the past to vote APC for the second term in office, because, the APC doesn’t know the practical aspects of administration at all”.
On current happenings in the country, Lamido called for a mutual respects and understanding among Nigerians. “Nigerians should eschew violence against one another; it never brings peace to anybody in the country”.
The former governor warned that Nigerians deserve all privileges, enjoy their rights and the rule of law irrespective of their geographical areas and identity among others.
He, therefore, emphasised that the only party to reunite Nigerians, restore their dignity as well as the country’s past glory and normalize the tension is the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
