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Tag: Restructuring

Ban On Open Grazing, Restructuring Will Strengthen Nigeria’s Unity – Gov Okowa
Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa on Saturday said the decision of Southern states’ Governors to ban open grazing and call for restructuring was geared towards strengthening the unity of Nigeria.
The Governor made the comment on Saturday at an event in Asaba.
The Southern Governors had met on Tuesday in Delta state to discuss critical issues, including the farmer-herder crisis which has caused ruptures across the country.
A former Executive Secretary of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), Prof. Usman Yusuf had criticised the move by the Governors to ban open grazing, saying they did not consult with Fulani leaders.
On Friday, Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today, also said Governors should be careful in how they approach the issue of restructuring.
But Okowa, who had hosted Tuesday’s meeting, said the Southern Governors were only re-echoing the voices of their people.
“We thank all our brothers in the south for coming together to speak for our people. The things that we’ve said are not new. It’s just the voice of our people that we have continued to echo.
“But unfortunately I read in the papers that somebody says we ought not to talk about certains things, being elected people. If the voice of your people has been heard madly and they’ve continued to talk and you are an elected person and you shy away from giving further voice to their voices, then you ought not be in the position that you occupy.
“We reaffirmed that as a people, as elected Governors, we believe in the unity of our country. But we also went forth to advance the need for certain things to be done in order to give strength to that unity. That cannot be a reason for us to be vilified, obviously not.
“We talked about restructuring, which has been on the table for so long. Both the voices of the PDP and the APC itself have endorsed restructuring. And restructuring is all-inclusive and all-encompassing. We may have different views, different approaches to the restructuring, but when we sit on the table in dialogue, we will be able to agree best what is good for Nigeria and what is good for the component parts of Nigeria.”
May 16, 2021
Restructuring: Governor Bello Warns Against Disintegration In Nigeria
By Noah Ocheni, Lokoja
The Kogi state governor Alhaji Yahaya Bello on Saturday in Lokoja warned Stakeholders to be wary of those who are clamouring for restructuring of the country as they are out for selfish reasons.
The governor gave the warning on Saturday at the wedding solemnisation of James Otowo and Dorcas Matthew Kolawole, daughter of the speaker of the state House of Assembly held at Christ Apostolic Church (CAC) Lokoja,
Governor who said those clamouring for breakage are out for selfish interests adding that the amalgamation of the country in 1914 has come to stay , except, only when the two most important rivers in the country -Rivers Benue and Niger are able to be separated.
He explained that although the country is passing through lots of challenges which he said are man made stressing that iis better to pull through as one indivisible entity rather than calling for the disintegration of the country.
Governor Bello attributed the insecurity ravaging the country to misunderstanding among the people which he said could be resolved and called for a concerted effort to salvage the country.
Bello who used the occasion to educate Nigerians on the importance of inter tribal marriages assured that it has the potential of bridging unity and understanding among the people.
According to him” The couple have gone through the school of marriage. The lessons learnt in this school if properly guided will engender sustainable growth and development of the Union.
The bride has emulated her parents who were from different tribes but have agreed to live as husband and wife and I’m confident that this marriage will be successful because their parents have done well in marriage.
Bello who pointed out that the wedding was significant because it is between two different ethnic tribes and states which exemplified unity, called on Nigerian elite to utilise the diversity for the growth and unity of the country.
In a remark, the father of the bride , who is the current Speaker of Kogi state House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Matthew Kolawole commended the governor for his words of advice which he said if carefully adopted it will make their marriage to succeed.
He added that it was traumatic to let go a first daughter, but prayed to God to help them in the progress of their the home.
He commended his colleagues from 36 state who despite their tight schedule deemed necessary to attend the wedding and called of God Almighty for a safe return of every one who grace the occasion to their destinations.
Earlier ,the District Superintendent of Christ Apostolic Church, Gadumo, Pastor Samuel Ajinihi noted that most Challenges of Marriage are surmountable via the word of God and complete trust in God and admonished them to avoid third party in their affairs, stressing the need for love.
May 16, 2021
Lawan to Govs: Restructure your States before calling for restructuring at federal level
Senate President Ahmad Lawan has cautioned States’ Governors and other elected leaders against joining the agitations for secession or calling for restructuring of the country.
Lawan, who stated this while fielding questions from State House correspondents in Abuja on Thursday, said he was not against those calling for restructuring but elected officials must not be among those advocating for such calls.
According to him, state governors must ensure that they restructure their respective states first before calling for restructuring at the federal level.
He said: “The call for secession or the call for restructuring, many are genuine calls even though I never believe that someone who is calling for secession means well or is a misguided person.
“But I believe that when somebody calls for improving the structure that we have is a genuine call.
“But I want to advice here, I believe that as leaders those of us who were elected must not be at the forefront of calling for this kind of thing because even if you are a governor you are supposed to be working hard in your state to ensure that this restructuring you are calling for at the federal level you have done it in your state as well.
“This is because what you may accuse the federal government of whatever it is, you may also be accused of the same thing in your state.
“So, we are supposed to ensure that we have a complete and total way of ensuring that our systems at the federal, state and even local government work for the people, and that we allow people to participate in governance so that whoever feels that he has something to offer to make Nigeria better does so freely without any hindrance.’’
The senate president said Nigerians must come together regardless of their religious, ethnic or political persuasions to find lasting solutions to the nation challenges.
He, therefore, called on all elected leaders across the three tiers of government to always avoid primordial sentiments capable of creating division and social discontent among Nigerians.
“We should avoid partisanship, we should avoid regionalism. We are all leaders and we are in this together. The solution must come from us regardless of what level of government we are – whether at the federal, state or even at the local government level,’’ he added.
Lawan also frowned at the way and manner local government system was relegated to the background in the country, saying for the nation to address its security challenges the local government system must be functional and efficient.
“I want to take this opportunity also to say that we have diminished the local government system. I think we can attribute some of the security issues to the lack of functional local government system.
“For me, I think the time has come for us to take up the challenge to ensure that the local government system functions. This is in keeping with looking for ways, for means, for solutions to the security challenges that we face. We must never neglect the local government system.
“I believe that this is one system that had worked even though in a different name. When it was Native Authority it was very effective, very efficient.
“So, we must go back to our local government to ensure that the local government continues to be autonomous, continues to be functional in order to compliment whatever the States and the Federal Government would be doing.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, who also spoke to the correspondents, called for a national spirit of oneness, saying that “If truth be told, we all have equal shares in the blame for what’s happening today.
“Whatever challenges we have, we must all come together to make sure that we resolve these issues we’re facing.
“We must imbibe that spirit of oneness, togetherness, unity and love that would take us through this.”
He enjoined Nigerians to always be their brothers’ keepers and avoid acts capable of creating social unrest.
May 14, 2021
Restructuring Alone Will Not Solve Nigeria’s Problems – Jonathan
A former Nigerian President, Goodluck Jonathan, has said that restructuring alone can not solve Nigeria’s problems and cannot be done in isolation.
The former President called for the issues of nepotism, ethnic and religious bias to be addressed.
He stated this on Thursday while speaking at a dialogue on restructuring in Abuja.
He noted that Nigerians must restructure their minds because the issues at the national level still exist at the state and local levels.
The immediate past President General of Ohaneze Ndi Igbo John Nwodo, while delivering his speech said that Nigeria must restructure before the 2023 general elections.
According to him, “We must change the constitution of the country as the 1999 constitution was not produced by the majority of Nigerians.”
January 21, 2021