* Say discussion with Ojukwu should not foreclose
fine-tuning of nation’s architecture
* Sultan calls for conference of ethnic nationalities, respectful
dialogue
* Presidency cautions critics of president’s speech
Southern leaders drawn from the South-west, South-east and
South-south geopolitical zones have collectively expressed their
strong opposition to the position taken by President Muhammadu
Buhari in his national broadcast on Monday.
The leaders, who converged on the Colonades Hotels, Ikoyi,
Lagos, Wednesday to take a stand of the president’s broadcast, said
in a statement titled, “Only restructuring will ensure the unity,
peace and development of Nigeria,” and jointly signed by Chief
Edwin Clark and Albert Horsfall for the South-south; Chief Nnia
Nwodo and Prof. Joe Irukwu for the South-east; and Chief Reuben
Fasoranti and Chief Ayo Adebanjo for the South-west, that Nigeria
was in a “very bad shape and requires statesmanship in its
leadership”.
Buhari, in his broadcast, barely acknowledged the growing
agitation for the nation’s restructuring, and only stated that the
appropriate institutions for national discourse were the National
Assembly and National Council of State.
The southern leaders noted that the president, in his broadcast,
handled some very important issues with levity that did not give
cognisance to the level at which they affect the overall well-being
of Nigerians.
“We have studied the national broadcast by Mr. President on
Monday, August 21, 2017 and after a careful and thorough analysis
of the speech, we make the following observations: the president
expressed his disaffection about comments on Nigeria while he was
away that ‘question our collective existence as a nation’ and which
he said had crossed the red lines.
“Against the background of the threat to treat hate speech as
terrorism, we see a veiled threat to bare fangs and commence the
criminalisation of dissenting opinions in our national
discourse.
“The president deployed the imagery of the late Chief Emeka
Ojukwu to play down the demand for the renegotiation of the
structure of Nigeria by saying they both agreed in Daura in 2003
that we must remain one and united.
“While we agree with them, the meeting between the two of them
could not have been a sovereign national conference whose decision
cannot be reviewed.
“The fact that we agree on their conclusion that we should
remain united does not foreclose discussions of the terms and
conditions of the union,” they said.
The leaders contended that the claim that Nigeria’s unity was
settled and not negotiable was untenable on the grounds that “every
country is in daily dialogue and there is nothing finally settled
in its life”.
“Stable nations are still fine-tuning details of the
architecture of their existence now and then,” let alone Nigeria,
which they described as a country yet to attain nationhood.
Regarding the October 1 quit notice given to Nigerians of
eastern extraction by Arewa youths, the southern leaders noted that
Buhari did not give the issue the needed attention in his
speech.
According to them, “The one sentence by the president that every
Nigerian can live anywhere without let or hindrance, if meant to
address the quit notice by Arewa youths against the Igbos was
rather too short to address the clear and present danger that the
unwarranted threat represents.
“We are distressed by the refusal of the police to comply with
the arrest orders given by the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir
el-Rufai and the vice-president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo while the
president was away.
“Instead of ensuring that these orders are carried out, the
president has now come to make a bland comment on the explosive
issue. We are of the view that leadership requires more than that
at this crucial moment.”
The southern leaders were also disappointed with the description
of the fatal clashes between farmers and weapon-wielding herdsmen
as a mere “conflict”, saying: “We are equally miffed that the
president talks about the serial onslaught by AK47 wielding Fulani
herdsmen against defenceless farmers as a conflict between two
quarrelling groups.
“In the last two years, the Fulani herdsmen have become much more
ferocious in their attacks against farmers in the south and middle
belt areas of the country, with security forces shying away from
enforcing law and order.
“To present the various onslaught on farmers by the herdsmen as
‘two-fighting’ would portray the president as taking side with the
aggressive Meyiti Allah.
“So, as elders who have spent most of our lives fighting for the
unity of the country based on justice, fairness and equity, we call
on the president to realise that the country is in a very bad shape
at the moment and requires statesmanship and not ethnic, religious
and political partisanship.
“This is the time to renegotiate Nigeria along the federal lines
negotiated by our founding fathers to stem the tide of separatist
feelings and agitations.
“This is why we do not accept that it portrays the president in
a favourable light to be away for a long period, only to return to
a badly fractured polity and avoid promoting a new dialogue for a
better, just, inclusive and peaceful country.”
Other notable persons present at the meeting included Mr. Efiye
Bribena, Obafemi Ayo-Adebanjo, Mr. Denzil Kentebe, Mr. Tony Uranta,
Chief Supo Shonibare, Col. Tony Nyaim (rtd), Prof. Banji Akintoye,
Dr. Amos Akingba, Chief Guy Ikokuru, Mr. Gani Adams, Dr. Walter
Ofonagoro, Ambassador George Obiozor and General Ike Nwachukwu
(rtd).
Conference of Ethnic Nationalities
Also weighing in on the restructuring debate Wednesday, the
Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, called for a
conference of ethnic nationalities to reach a resolution on
Nigeria’s quest for nationhood, including a discourse on
restructuring and federalism.
The sultan, who spoke in Abuja at a colloquium organised by the
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) with the theme, “The Labour Movement
and the Future of a United Nigeria: What Role for Restructuring,”
however, maintained that the nation’s unity was sacrosanct.
The sultan posited that there was strength in unity, but
stressed the need for dialogue among the ethnic groups in an
atmosphere where there will be mutual respect for one another’s
views.
While stressing that the country had undergone phases of
restructuring since the 1914 amalgamation of the Northern and
Southern Protectorates by Lord Frederick Lugard, the sultan
insisted that as a people, Nigerians needed to know their history
and how they came together as a nation.
“It is good to sit down and dialogue but there must be respect.
It is important to know who we are and where we come from. We have
a history. We must look back at where we are coming from. When we
talk about restructuring, what are we to restructure, how do we
restructure?
“Let us sit down to talk about all these with position papers
prepared by every ethnic nationality – Afenifere, Ohaneze, Arewa,
the Ijaws and others.
“Let the federal government provide the enabling environment
that will be conducive for us to sit down and discuss these issues.
But like I said, there must be respect for one another’s views,” he
said.
Sultan Abubakar commended the labour movement for taking the
initiative to discuss issues that are germane to the country’s
national unity, saying that it was long overdue.
Former Ebonyi governor, Prof. Sam Egwu, who presented the lead
paper, however, said he did not subscribe to the notion that
Nigeria was indissoluble but would rather advocate what needed to
be done to retain the unity.
According to Egwu, “We need to work to retain the existing
relationship among the different ethnic nationalities and the unity
of the country.”
Egwu, a political scientist, said it was unfortunate that some
people calling for restructuring were ignorant of what it means,
thus causing tension in the country.
“They only succeeded in creating trying times for the country,
trying times for our unity, trying times for our democracy because
they keep on overheating the polity and our corporate existence is
being threatened,” he said.
Egwu said the call for restructuring was not enough without
resolving other dynamics of federalism that needed to be addressed
and centre around the institution of the state.
He said: “The central rallying point of identity which is what
the state has taken away, leaving the stage for alternative
identities such as religion and ethnicity,” explaining that people
agitating for one thing or the other were contesting the meaning of
the state.
“People are asking legitimate questions but using the wrong
platform of religion and ethnicity,” he noted.
Egwu blamed the Nigerian federal system for failing to reflect
the principles of true federalism embedded in the shared roles that
recognise the peculiarity of each component units of the
federation.
He made reference to the 2014 National Conference to which
representatives of the six geopolitical zones presented position
papers as a better way of arguing on the wrong platform of
ethnicity.
To him, restructuring “is about how you can align structures
with functions in a federal system”, adding that the problem with
Nigeria was that of governance, justice and equity and the
inability to mobilise and distribute national resources.
The president of NLC, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, said the colloquium was put
together to articul
ate a labour perspective on the debate on the restructuring of
Nigeria, adopt just and fair measures of reconciliation,
integration and development, and to proffer practical and policy
based recommendations on the nature of restructuring.
Pursuant to the outcome of the proceedings, Wabba said the NLC
would take a position that would be submitted to the presidency,
the National Assembly, state assemblies and labour affiliates for
consideration and implementation.
In addition, he said, a labour group would be constituted to
monitor the constitution review process and lobby the appropriate
bodies to ensure the implementation of the resolutions.
Justifying the need for the labour movement to join in the
national discourse, he said the ongoing articulation of positions
by the political class, civil society and the contending groups of
agitators was being conducted using violent language and deploying
ethnic and religious sentiments, which have the potential of
shaping the opinions of the Nigerian workers and dividing them
along ethnic and religious lines.
“Unfortunately, the working people have been mobilised to be
partisan by accepting some of these canvassed positions which are
heavily identity-based rather than ideological.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress feels strongly that she should
access this dominated space and articulate an agenda for Nigeria by
hosting a platform for national discourse on the issue,” he
said.
On hand to discuss the papers presented were Prof. Godoni Darah,
Prof. Toye Olorode, Mr. Femi Falani, Adams Oshiomhole, and Prof.
Jibo Ibrahim.
But there was a mild drama over Oshiomhole’s submission that
those calling for restructuring must be interrogated, noting that
they were self-serving.
He was of the view that Nigerians should focus more on good
leadership that guarantees speedy development.
The ex-Edo State governor stressed that qualitative leadership and
devolution of power to the states would lead to a reduction in
corruption at the federal, state and local government levels.
Also speaking, the chairman of the occasion and former Chief
Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore, commended the NLC,
describing it as one of the most educated and informed labour
movements in Africa for its concern about the unity of the country.
“Nigeria will be united forever,” he said.
‘Threats, Insults Not the Way’
Meanwhile, the Presidency has advised proponents of
restructuring to exercise restraint in their choice of words,
saying issues can be resolved through “established processes, not
by abuses, insults or irresponsible statements”.
Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media
and Publicity, gave the advice in a statement in Abuja
Wednesday.
Shehu was reacting to the opinions expressed by Nigerians for and
against Buhari’s broadcast after his return from a medical
vacation.
He said the call had become imperative to avoid heating up the
polity and causing acrimony across the country.
The presidential aide said a majority of the citizens welcomed the
broadcast, and condemned those criticising the president for not
responding to calls for the restructuring of the country, reported
the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said the president has no power to impose restructuring on
the country by military dictate, explaining that National Assembly
members are the elected representatives of the people who can
handle agitations for restructuring and other constitutional
changes.
According to him, the president is constitutionally bound to
work with the National Assembly to deal with such complex
issues.
He reminded the critics that Buhari would not exercise arbitrary
powers or bypass the legislature in taking such fundamental
decisions.
“Changes don’t happen on a whim in a democracy. The ‘immediate
effect’ military mentality cannot work under a democratic
order.
“Since the president has sworn to defend the constitution, he
will remain faithful to that oath by working with the legislature
in taking major decisions on the future of Nigeria’s federal
system,” Shehu said.
He, however, stated that “while Nigerians are free to express
themselves, they should exercise such liberty with restraint and a
sense of responsibility”.
He said calling the president an enemy of Nigeria was in extreme
bad taste, adding that nothing in Buhari’s service record would
justify such language.
“The country’s parliament is ready and willing to discuss all
issues but the pundits are more interested in television and
newspaper headlines.
“Threats don’t work in a democracy. Democracy requires planning
and proper processes; issues are resolved through established
processes, not by abuses, insults or irresponsible statements,” he
said.
* Say discussion with Ojukwu should not foreclose
fine-tuning of nation’s architecture
* Sultan calls for conference of ethnic nationalities, respectful
dialogue
* Presidency cautions critics of president’s
speech
Southern leaders drawn from the South-west, South-east and
South-south geopolitical zones have collectively expressed their
strong opposition to the position taken by President Muhammadu
Buhari in his national broadcast on Monday.
The leaders, who converged on the Colonades Hotels, Ikoyi,
Lagos, Wednesday to take a stand of the president’s broadcast, said
in a statement titled, “Only restructuring will ensure the unity,
peace and development of Nigeria,” and jointly signed by Chief
Edwin Clark and Albert Horsfall for the South-south; Chief Nnia
Nwodo and Prof. Joe Irukwu for the South-east; and Chief Reuben
Fasoranti and Chief Ayo Adebanjo for the South-west, that Nigeria
was in a “very bad shape and requires statesmanship in its
leadership”.
Buhari, in his broadcast, barely acknowledged the growing
agitation for the nation’s restructuring, and only stated that the
appropriate institutions for national discourse were the National
Assembly and National Council of State.
The southern leaders noted that the president, in his broadcast,
handled some very important issues with levity that did not give
cognisance to the level at which they affect the overall well-being
of Nigerians.
“We have studied the national broadcast by Mr. President on
Monday, August 21, 2017 and after a careful and thorough analysis
of the speech, we make the following observations: the president
expressed his disaffection about comments on Nigeria while he was
away that ‘question our collective existence as a nation’ and which
he said had crossed the red lines.
“Against the background of the threat to treat hate speech as
terrorism, we see a veiled threat to bare fangs and commence the
criminalisation of dissenting opinions in our national
discourse.
“The president deployed the imagery of the late Chief Emeka
Ojukwu to play down the demand for the renegotiation of the
structure of Nigeria by saying they both agreed in Daura in 2003
that we must remain one and united.
“While we agree with them, the meeting between the two of them
could not have been a sovereign national conference whose decision
cannot be reviewed.
“The fact that we agree on their conclusion that we should
remain united does not foreclose discussions of the terms and
conditions of the union,” they said.
The leaders contended that the claim that Nigeria’s unity was
settled and not negotiable was untenable on the grounds that “every
country is in daily dialogue and there is nothing finally settled
in its life”.
“Stable nations are still fine-tuning details of the
architecture of their existence now and then,” let alone Nigeria,
which they described as a country yet to attain nationhood.
Regarding the October 1 quit notice given to Nigerians of
eastern extraction by Arewa youths, the southern leaders noted that
Buhari did not give the issue the needed attention in his
speech.
According to them, “The one sentence by the president that every
Nigerian can live anywhere without let or hindrance, if meant to
address the quit notice by Arewa youths against the Igbos was
rather too short to address the clear and present danger that the
unwarranted threat represents.
“We are distressed by the refusal of the police to comply with
the arrest orders given by the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir
el-Rufai and the vice-president, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo while the
president was away.
“Instead of ensuring that these orders are carried out, the
president has now come to make a bland comment on the explosive
issue. We are of the view that leadership requires more than that
at this crucial moment.”
The southern leaders were also disappointed with the description
of the fatal clashes between farmers and weapon-wielding herdsmen
as a mere “conflict”, saying: “We are equally miffed that the
president talks about the serial onslaught by AK47 wielding Fulani
herdsmen against defenceless farmers as a conflict between two
quarrelling groups.
“In the last two years, the Fulani herdsmen have become much more
ferocious in their attacks against farmers in the south and middle
belt areas of the country, with security forces shying away from
enforcing law and order.
“To present the various onslaught on farmers by the herdsmen as
‘two-fighting’ would portray the president as taking side with the
aggressive Meyiti Allah.
“So, as elders who have spent most of our lives fighting for the
unity of the country based on justice, fairness and equity, we call
on the president to realise that the country is in a very bad shape
at the moment and requires statesmanship and not ethnic, religious
and political partisanship.
“This is the time to renegotiate Nigeria along the federal lines
negotiated by our founding fathers to stem the tide of separatist
feelings and agitations.
“This is why we do not accept that it portrays the president in
a favourable light to be away for a long period, only to return to
a badly fractured polity and avoid promoting a new dialogue for a
better, just, inclusive and peaceful country.”
Other notable persons present at the meeting included Mr. Efiye
Bribena, Obafemi Ayo-Adebanjo, Mr. Denzil Kentebe, Mr. Tony Uranta,
Chief Supo Shonibare, Col. Tony Nyaim (rtd), Prof. Banji Akintoye,
Dr. Amos Akingba, Chief Guy Ikokuru, Mr. Gani Adams, Dr. Walter
Ofonagoro, Ambassador George Obiozor and General Ike Nwachukwu
(rtd).
Conference of Ethnic Nationalities
Also weighing in on the restructuring debate Wednesday, the
Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar III, called for a
conference of ethnic nationalities to reach a resolution on
Nigeria’s quest for nationhood, including a discourse on
restructuring and federalism.
The sultan, who spoke in Abuja at a colloquium organised by the
Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) with the theme, “The Labour Movement
and the Future of a United Nigeria: What Role for Restructuring,”
however, maintained that the nation’s unity was sacrosanct.
The sultan posited that there was strength in unity, but
stressed the need for dialogue among the ethnic groups in an
atmosphere where there will be mutual respect for one another’s
views.
While stressing that the country had undergone phases of
restructuring since the 1914 amalgamation of the Northern and
Southern Protectorates by Lord Frederick Lugard, the sultan
insisted that as a people, Nigerians needed to know their history
and how they came together as a nation.
“It is good to sit down and dialogue but there must be respect.
It is important to know who we are and where we come from. We have
a history. We must look back at where we are coming from. When we
talk about restructuring, what are we to restructure, how do we
restructure?
“Let us sit down to talk about all these with position papers
prepared by every ethnic nationality – Afenifere, Ohaneze, Arewa,
the Ijaws and others.
“Let the federal government provide the enabling environment
that will be conducive for us to sit down and discuss these issues.
But like I said, there must be respect for one another’s views,” he
said.
Sultan Abubakar commended the labour movement for taking the
initiative to discuss issues that are germane to the country’s
national unity, saying that it was long overdue.
Former Ebonyi governor, Prof. Sam Egwu, who presented the lead
paper, however, said he did not subscribe to the notion that
Nigeria was indissoluble but would rather advocate what needed to
be done to retain the unity.
According to Egwu, “We need to work to retain the existing
relationship among the different ethnic nationalities and the unity
of the country.”
Egwu, a political scientist, said it was unfortunate that some
people calling for restructuring were ignorant of what it means,
thus causing tension in the country.
“They only succeeded in creating trying times for the country,
trying times for our unity, trying times for our democracy because
they keep on overheating the polity and our corporate existence is
being threatened,” he said.
Egwu said the call for restructuring was not enough without
resolving other dynamics of federalism that needed to be addressed
and centre around the institution of the state.
He said: “The central rallying point of identity which is what
the state has taken away, leaving the stage for alternative
identities such as religion and ethnicity,” explaining that people
agitating for one thing or the other were contesting the meaning of
the state.
“People are asking legitimate questions but using the wrong
platform of religion and ethnicity,” he noted.
Egwu blamed the Nigerian federal system for failing to reflect
the principles of true federalism embedded in the shared roles that
recognise the peculiarity of each component units of the
federation.
He made reference to the 2014 National Conference to which
representatives of the six geopolitical zones presented position
papers as a better way of arguing on the wrong platform of
ethnicity.
To him, restructuring “is about how you can align structures
with functions in a federal system”, adding that the problem with
Nigeria was that of governance, justice and equity and the
inability to mobilise and distribute national resources.
The president of NLC, Mr. Ayuba Wabba, said the colloquium was put
together to articul
ate a labour perspective on the debate on the restructuring of
Nigeria, adopt just and fair measures of reconciliation,
integration and development, and to proffer practical and policy
based recommendations on the nature of restructuring.
Pursuant to the outcome of the proceedings, Wabba said the NLC
would take a position that would be submitted to the presidency,
the National Assembly, state assemblies and labour affiliates for
consideration and implementation.
In addition, he said, a labour group would be constituted to
monitor the constitution review process and lobby the appropriate
bodies to ensure the implementation of the resolutions.
Justifying the need for the labour movement to join in the
national discourse, he said the ongoing articulation of positions
by the political class, civil society and the contending groups of
agitators was being conducted using violent language and deploying
ethnic and religious sentiments, which have the potential of
shaping the opinions of the Nigerian workers and dividing them
along ethnic and religious lines.
“Unfortunately, the working people have been mobilised to be
partisan by accepting some of these canvassed positions which are
heavily identity-based rather than ideological.
“The Nigeria Labour Congress feels strongly that she should
access this dominated space and articulate an agenda for Nigeria by
hosting a platform for national discourse on the issue,” he
said.
On hand to discuss the papers presented were Prof. Godoni Darah,
Prof. Toye Olorode, Mr. Femi Falani, Adams Oshiomhole, and Prof.
Jibo Ibrahim.
But there was a mild drama over Oshiomhole’s submission that
those calling for restructuring must be interrogated, noting that
they were self-serving.
He was of the view that Nigerians should focus more on good
leadership that guarantees speedy development.
The ex-Edo State governor stressed that qualitative leadership and
devolution of power to the states would lead to a reduction in
corruption at the federal, state and local government levels.
Also speaking, the chairman of the occasion and former Chief
Justice of Nigeria, Justice Alfa Belgore, commended the NLC,
describing it as one of the most educated and informed labour
movements in Africa for its concern about the unity of the country.
“Nigeria will be united forever,” he said.
‘Threats, Insults Not the Way’
Meanwhile, the Presidency has advised proponents of
restructuring to exercise restraint in their choice of words,
saying issues can be resolved through “established processes, not
by abuses, insults or irresponsible statements”.
Malam Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President, Media
and Publicity, gave the advice in a statement in Abuja
Wednesday.
Shehu was reacting to the opinions expressed by Nigerians for and
against Buhari’s broadcast after his return from a medical
vacation.
He said the call had become imperative to avoid heating up the
polity and causing acrimony across the country.
The presidential aide said a majority of the citizens welcomed the
broadcast, and condemned those criticising the president for not
responding to calls for the restructuring of the country, reported
the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).
He said the president has no power to impose restructuring on
the country by military dictate, explaining that National Assembly
members are the elected representatives of the people who can
handle agitations for restructuring and other constitutional
changes.
According to him, the president is constitutionally bound to
work with the National Assembly to deal with such complex
issues.
He reminded the critics that Buhari would not exercise arbitrary
powers or bypass the legislature in taking such fundamental
decisions.
“Changes don’t happen on a whim in a democracy. The ‘immediate
effect’ military mentality cannot work under a democratic
order.
“Since the president has sworn to defend the constitution, he
will remain faithful to that oath by working with the legislature
in taking major decisions on the future of Nigeria’s federal
system,” Shehu said.
He, however, stated that “while Nigerians are free to express
themselves, they should exercise such liberty with restraint and a
sense of responsibility”.
He said calling the president an enemy of Nigeria was in extreme
bad taste, adding that nothing in Buhari’s service record would
justify such language.
“The country’s parliament is ready and willing to discuss all
issues but the pundits are more interested in television and
newspaper headlines.
“Threats don’t work in a democracy. Democracy requires planning
and proper processes; issues are resolved through established
processes, not by abuses, insults or irresponsible statements,” he
said.
Read more https://nairalaw.com/southern-leaders-kick-against-buharis-broadcast-insist-on-restructuring/