Michael Adesanya /Abeokuta
The Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) on Tuesday endorsed the restructuring of the country, noting that Nigeria needed to be restructured to “avoid impending unrest”.
The group argued that the current practice where all the country’s resources are being controlled by the Federal Government was not helping matters, saying that such a situation is hampering the nation’s progress.
Speaking on behalf of the group, its National Chairman, Mr. Olawale Oshun, urged Nigerians to adopt non-violent agitation in calling for restructuring.
Oshun spoke at a town hall dialogue organised by the group with the theme, “State of the Nation: A conversation with ARG Leadership and Yoruba Intelligentsia”.
He said: “The over-bearing power of the Federal government is killing the states and local governments. States are incapacitated; they should be allowed to control their resources to develop themselves instead of being tied to the apron strings of the Federal government.
“Everything is collapsing because everybody solely depends on what is coming from the Federal government to survive and if we don’t restructure, we will continue to remain where we are today.
“Those who are against restructuring are those who are benefitting from the rots in government. The Federal government must cease to control resources of the states.
“If Yoruba leaders like Chief Obafemi Awolowo and others were to be alive today to see what is happening to the Yoruba nation, they will weep for us.”
To him, the country must return to regionalism where each region would develop at its own pace.
Oshun also added that the Federal Government lacked the capacity to harness the country’s resources.
“We need restructuring to progress and develop, the situation where Federal Government will collect everything and begin to give states small things, we need to change from that.
“Regions should take of their resources for their growth.
He maintained that huge power resides with the central government and that if things continued they were, it might lead to “unrest”.
Oshun explained that the ‘Badoo’ cult group terrorising some parts of Lagos State would have been nipped in the bud if there was state police.
The keynote speaker, a renowned columnist, Mrs. Bamidele Ademola-Olateju, said that the Yoruba race must wake up from its slumber because it was living on past glory.
According to her, the Yoruba race became the conscience of the country, through its education prowess but is now behind.
Ademola-Olateju, who spoke on “The Knowledge of Now: Pathways for the Yoruba” said the education sector started having setback after the discovery of oil and that “Nigeria failed to plan for the future”.
Giving the opening remarks, ex-international, Chief Segun Odegbami disclosed that the Yoruba race was in dire need of good leadership.
He said the meeting was put together in order to discuss the future of the Yoruba race.
Also speaking, a Professor of Biochemistry, Babajide Elemo said, “If we don’t pull down the Abuja structure we can’t progress, we must stop the feeding bottle system of government.”
