The Pan Yoruba Socio-Cultural Organisation, Afenifere, has said that Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, got it wrong when he said that Nigeria needs no restructuring beyond increasing in revenue allocation to the federating states .
For Afenifere, while the governor’s acknowledgement of the need for increased revenue to federating states is germane, nothing short of shakeup of Nigeria’s present structure, which it described as ” iniquitous, skewed, unfair, unjust and not conducive to justice, harmony, development and happiness of the constituent units,” will do.
Afenifere’s position was contained in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary , Mr. Yinka Odumakin.
According to the statement, Tambuwal’s’s call for increase in revenue allocation to the federating units is consistent with the recommendation of the 2014 National Conference.
Afenifere however faulted his submission that we do not need to restructure Nigeria beyond that, is totally parochial and we out-rightly reject it,” insisting that the present structure of Nigeria is not conducive to justice, harmony, development and happiness of the constituent units of the country.
“It is therefore no accident that the country is not at peace today as we witness horizontal and vertical conflicts across the space with a lot bordering on the clash of civilizations”, Afenifere said.
“This is what Chief Obafemi Awolowo predicted in 1967 in his book “Thoughts on Nigerian Constitution “ that any attempt to run Nigeria along unitary lines would be productive of conflicts, disharmony and complications of governance except super humans are sourced to run its affairs.
“This is what Chief Obafemi Awolowo predicted in 1967 in his book “Thoughts on Nigerian Constitution “ that any attempt to run Nigeria along unitary lines would be productive of conflicts, disharmony and complications of governance except super humans are sourced to run its affairs.
“Today , Nigeria is on ground zero with the government as confused as the governed and we are on our knees praying to avert our looming implosion. And it is only those dwelling in mischief or the hopelessly ignorant that would not see that the terminal crisis Nigeria is in today flows from our structural dysfunctionality.
“It is therefore perfidious for anyone to tell us at this stage that the constituent units of Nigeria should be in their chains inside asuffocating cage with a little more meat added to the slave ration they currently enjoy”, Afenifere said.
Afenifere wondered where the money to allocate for this increase of ration being suggested will come from if Nigeria is not restructured and all constitutional impediments on the way of owners of resources to begin to harvest what is under their soil are not removed?
“The Federal Government whose land is only the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) which contributes nothing to the Federation Account outside a few grass that roaming cows feed on can no longer sit on top of the destiny of the federating units .
“The minimum requirement to therefore keep Nigeria together and have a fresh start and repurchase the confidence of its building blocks is to bend the current constitution less it breaks under the suffocating yoke of unitarism”, Afenifere further said.
“We are therefore at loss as to what unity that the present order has produced that Tambuwal is telling us is “non-negotiable “.Is it the farmer whose crop is being eaten up by the herdsman’s cow that is dancing at Unity?, What unity is there between those being slaughtered for their beliefs and the killers? How united are those being denied of access to their God-given resources and those raping them?,” Afenifere queried.
