The pan-Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has kicked against the latest position of the President Muhammadu Buhari on the call for the restructuring of Nigeria.
Buhari had during the launch of Kudirat Abiola Sabon Gari, Zaria Peace Foundation in Zaria, erased made it clear that he does not align with the call for Nigeria’s restructuring.
Represented by the Executive Secretary, Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Alhaji Mohammed Shehu, Buhari had said: “Those who are discussing restructuring; my question is, what are you going to restructure?
“If you ask many Nigerians what they are going to restructure, you will find out that they have nothing to talk about. Some of them have not even studies the 1999 Constitution. The 1999 Constitution is almost 70 to 80 per cent 1979 Constitution.
“Those calling for whether separation or restructuring; some of them I will say they are very naive or even mischievously dangerous. Those agitating for restructuring are ignorant of war and its consequences.”
Reacting to the President’s statement, the Yoruba group, in a statement by its Secretary General, Sola Ebiseni, reiterated that the country needed to be restructured to get out of the current predicament.
“It is my submission that the statement could not be the opinion of General Buhari (retd.), who is already seeking restructuring the current Land Use Act under the 1999 Constitution to reopen grazing routes under a law made pursuant to the 1963 Constitution.
“We are at a critical stage where children, particularly in states with the highest population of children out of school in the world can no longer go to school at all for fear of being kidnapped for ransom.
“State governments are demanding the powers to establish state police to deal with insecurity and prominent traditional rulers, especially Emirs have called on their people to rise in their own defence and some uninformed government officials are threatening us with war if we seek restructuring or self determination. It is so nauseating…this rudderless government.”
