Buhari, not restructuring campaigners is selfish – N’Delta leaders

By Emma Amaize, Ike Uche and Chioma Onuegbu

 ASABA – MORE Niger Delta leaders knocked President Muhammudu Buhari, yesterday, over his Monday declaration that proponents of restructuring were selfish, saying that it is the President, who refused to listen to the demand of the people in a democratic system that is self-centered.

National Chairman of Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, and former Military Administrator of Akwa Ibom state, Air Commodore Idongesit Nkanga (retd), Archbishop of the Calabar Diocese of the Anglican Communion, Arch-Bishop Tunde Adeleye and Mba Ukweni, SAN, said Buhari simply displayed his lack of knowledge when he hosted Urhobo leaders from Delta state on

Monday. Nkanga, who spoke to Vanguard at Uyo, Akwa Ibom state, asserted: “It is rather unfortunate for him to say the advocates of restructuring are selfish and clearly, this is because of his not being properly briefed or not educated about what the whole thing is about” “We are in a democracy; instead of dismissing outright he should have subjected the issue to public debate.

Well, we will soon come out with a press release on this. Restructuring has gone beyond an individual now; it has gone beyond us now. “And like I told you some time ago, every corner of the country is now shouting about restructuring. Ours is to advice and if you do not restructure, if we do not control restructuring, Nigeria will restructure itself,” he added. The PANDEF chair stated “Avoiding restructuring will not be in the overall interest of this country. I think the President need to see beyond the statement that he made. Restructuring now is not just politically expedient, it is even morally compelling because as far as we are concerned now, restructuring means justice and peace.”

 Mba Ukweni, SAN, who spoke to one of our reporters at Calabar, said: “The attitude of the president does not show maturity, there is no how he can describe people calling for restructuring as being selfish .Instead, he is the one who is selfish because the current composition favours him and his region and that is why he is perpetuating it.”

Restructuring is a constant decimal in the development of this country and we must sit down to discuss it. There is no country or society that does not restructure. From the time of amalgamation, there has been restructuring, when the British started to colonized us there has been restructuring and it won’t stop now “From all the constitutional development, McPherson and Republican Constitutions were all aspects of restructuring till date.

 From three to four regions ,12 states, 19 states and the present composition, it is the president’s attitude and disposition that is selfishness .I do not mince words in saying that .When it was convenient for the north ,the rest of Nigeria waited for them ,” he added. Ukweni asserted, “Even a husband and wife restructure on the way to continue their relationship as time goes on.

The number of House of Representatives members and the inequality of local government and state are issues tied to restructuring and it must be discussed for the sake of development and moving forward.” Archbishop Adeleye said: “I do not know exactly what the president meant ,but it is those who are refusing restructuring that are really selfish , Nigeria cannot continue to be governed the way is currently governed.” “There is no balance, there is lopsidedness and we cannot continue like this. Nigeria must be restructured to run a federal government, which allows everyone to govern his or her region. We need a Nigeria where there is no form of demarcation, a country where there is equality and this cannot happen without restructuring,” he asserted.

source: vanguard news