He
made the appeal while speaking on “Next Generation Nigeria:
Participation, Accountability and National Cohesion,” at the Chatham
House (Royal Institute of International Affairs) yesterday.
He
said the evidence that the country was ready for restructuring was
underlined by the calls being made by prominent leaders from various
parts of the country.
“This
is the time for restructuring, “ he argued, and also noted that:
“restructuring will reduce corruption.” He allayed the fear of those
opposed to restructuring, saying that if Netherlands can earn more from
agriculture than Nigeria earns from oil, then “Northern Nigerian will be
the richest zone in a restructured Nigeria.”
Nwodo
described the Federal Government’s proscription and labeling of the
Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) as a terrorist organisation “as
unfortunate,” while the same government is continuing to dialogue with
Boko Haram, which has killed and maimed hundreds of Nigerians in the
North.
Although
he said he disagreed with some aspects of the modus operandi of IPOB,
the former federal minister argued that the government was out of order
to have proscribed it and also sent in the army that tortured and killed
many youths.
The
Federal Government should have gone to court and press charges of
criminal or civil disturbances, not to label them as terrorist
organisation, he argued further.
Besides,
former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Olisa Agbakoba,
has advised the president to drive the restructuring process as
provided in section 5 of the 1999 Constitution.
President
Buhari had in a national broadcast shortly after returning from United
Kingdom on a medical vacation, declared that the National Assembly and
the National Council of State would initiate the restructuring process.
But
the senior advocate, while talking to newsmen said the kind of
restructuring envisaged by Nigerians could only be handled by the
president. His words: “President is the leader of Nigeria and the reason
we have all these problems is simply because he has not taken direct
control.”
Agbakoba
who blamed the southern leaders for not engaging their northern
counterparts on the issue said the Federal Government should allow
states to have control over natural resources in their domains.
According
to him, the most important challenge is to develop a blue print on
restructuring to be used to engage Nigerians. He also urged Nigerians to
have a clear voice in order for the president to take action.
Nwodo
and Agbakoba spoke as IPOB declared its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu,
missing and called on the Federal Government to tell the world his
whereabouts.
A
statement yesterday by IPOB Media and Publicity Secretary, Emma
Powerful, said that Kanu had been missing since Thursday, September 14,
2017 when a detachment of soldiers stormed his residence.
The
statement called on the United Nations and the government of United
Kingdom to prevail upon the government of President Muhammadu Buhari,
and the Chief of Army Staff to produce Mazi Nnamdi Kanu or tell the
world what had become of him
It
stated: “Before the storming of his house, Kanu was seen chatting with
people, after the military invasion of his bedroom he has not been seen
till date.’’
IPOB
said it would not stop until justice was done. Kanu’s counsel, Mr.
Ifeanyi Ejiofor, yesterday, took the Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai
to court, praying for an order to compel him to produce Kanu in court on
his next trial date coming up on October 17.
In
an originating summons filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, Kanu’s
lawyer claimed that the whereabouts of the IPOB leader had remained
unknown since the military invaded his residence.
Kanu’s
lawyer is praying for an order, compelling the Chief of Army Staff, to
produce Kanu in court on the next adjourned date, to enable him defend
himself of the terrorism charges preferred against him by the Federal
Government.
The
lawyer, who anchored the application on five grounds, is asking the
court to take judicial notice of the fact that Kanu had lawfully
exercised his constitutional right of freedom of association, peaceful
assembly and self-determination.
According
to Ejiofor, Kanu was still enjoying the bail granted him by the court
when the prosecution requested the court to revoke the bail granted him
by Justice Binta Nyako.
Meanwhile,
Niger Delta elders have urged Buhari to immediately reverse the alleged
lopsided appointments and redeployments in the Nigeria National
Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) in the interest of fairness and justice.
At
a meeting in Abuja, held under the auspices of the Pan Niger Delta
Elders Forum (PANDEF), they noted that the Niger Delta region, which
produces oil, was neglected in the appointment, an action that grossly
violated the Local Content Act.
The
Leader of PANDEF and former federal commissioner, Chief Edwin Clark,
noted that the refusal by the Federal Government to correct the alleged
lopsidedness in the appointments has increased agitations for
restructuring.
Clark
said: “We cannot continue like this. The country belongs to all of us.
This is why everybody is now calling for restructuring. There is no
other option but to restructure. I don’t want our boys to go violent. We
have worked for peace and peace has returned. So we cannot go to fight,
let us restructure so that everyone controls what is produced in his
area.”
On
those who benefited from the appointments, Clark said: “The list shows
that the whole of the south has 19 positions out of the 55 positions and
the north, a non-oil producing zone, has 36 positions, which include
the very senior positions.
“We
challenge the NNPC or whoever has a list that ‘adequately’ distributes
these positions to all the zones, to make such available to the public,”
he insisted.
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