National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), for South-south, Ntufam Hilliard Eta, has described restructuring of the country as “very necessary,” saying it would “bring to the country greater benefits and development.”
Speaking to reporters in Calabar shortly after a thanksgiving service organised by the party in honour of President Muhammadu Buhari for a safe return from London, Eta said it was because of the many voices clamouring for restructuring that the APC administration inaugurated a committee to tour the country in order to collate views of Nigerians on the subject matter.
“I believe in it. I believe that restructuring will bring to the country greater benefits and development. States should be allowed to control their resources, manage their affairs and then pay small percentage to the federal government.
“The party has agreed on issues of fiscal federalism, devolution of power and restructuring but many have their different views and positions on these. This is why we have set up a committee that will visit states and see how the country can sit down and talk about all these issues.”
On Senator Aisha Alhassan’s alleged support to former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, Eta demanded immediate sack of Aisha Alhassan over what he termed “gross act of disloyalty.”
“The APC will ensure that Senator Alhassan is suspended as minister of women affairs or out-rightly sacked from that position. We do not need her in that position. She has displayed gross act of disloyalty to the man that was kind enough to give her appointment as minister. It is bare-faced disregard and anti-party behaviour.
“We have resolved that she must go. How can she show such height of disregard and disrespect to the president and the party by beginning to campaign for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, who is working against the man who appointed her.”
In his remarks, the Chairman of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) and former Senate leader, Victor Ndoma-Egba, said many appointments given indigenes of Cross River were because President Muhammadu Buhari had a soft spot for the state.
He said Buhari had done so much for the state than any other government, and that the President was willing to do even more.
In his remarks, the acting state chairman of the party, John Ochala, said the thanksgiving was very necessary in order to thank God for giving the president the love to give many indigenes of the state key federal appointments since inception of the administration.