BEVERLY HILLS, September 08, (THEWILL) – In what was termed Ibadan declaration, prominent leaders and representatives from the Yoruba race, including Kogi and Kwara states on Thursday demanded a restructured Nigeria with emphasis on a return to regional government as well as the federal system of government practised under the 1960 and 1963 Constitutions.
Insisting on the reconstitution of Nigeria into six main autonomous regional zones, with Abuja the FCT maintaining status quo, they demanded a system of government where all regions are empowered to govern their people and control their resources at their own pace.
Speakers at the summit took turns to submit that Nigeria, having experienced military and civil administration with no meaningful development for its people, needed to be steered away from a unitary political arrangement that had stifled progress and development.
The gathering tagged: ‘Yoruba Summit’ attracted South-West leaders, governors, former governors, traditional rulers, parliamentarians, Yoruba socio-cultural groups, professional bodies, market leaders, youth groups and friends of the Yoruba race.
President-General of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nwodo and former Director-General of the Department of State Services, DSS, Chief Albert Horsfall respectively lead separate delegations from the South-East and South-South, to the summit in a show of solidarity, and to endorse the agitation for restructuring by the Yoruba.
In his opening remarks, Chairman of the summit, Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, asserted that restructuring of Nigeria would curb the over concentration of power at the centre.
He pointed out that Nigeria witnessed its greatest and fastest economic, political and educational development during the self-government and the First Republic.
“Each of the regions was fairly autonomous and could legislate over a number of items which have today been taken over by the Federal Government.
“None of the constitutions fashioned out by the military reflects the ideals which informed the making of the 1954, 1960 and 1963 Constitutions. What the military did to those constitutions weaken the component states, destroy or impair their power to develop and sustain themselves.
“It is therefore correct to state that the military and their civilian apologist either by design of by accident have planted the seeds of national disintegration and disharmony,” Babalola said.
His continued: “The agitation for secession is an ill wind that does no good. No matter the motive of the conveners of Berlin Conference, we have lived together for over 100 years having been married by fiat of the Europeans.
“It is better to dialogue and restructure the country. No woman wants a dissolution of a marriage if the parties live in comfort and are prosperous. It is incumbent on the leaders to make the country so prosperous that nobody would agitate for recession.’’
Reading out a communiqué co-signed by Babalola and chairman of the planning committee, Dr Kunle Olajide, Afenifere spokesperson, Mr Yinka Odumakin, warned that the country “is careering dangerously to the edge of the slope” and required urgent remedial actions to restructure it from a unitary constitution to a federal constitution as was the case at independence in 1960.
“Summit recalls with nostalgia, the great strides made by the Yoruba nation in the years of self- government up until the abrogation of the federal constitution in 1966 evident in mass literacy, novel infrastructural strides and giant leaps in all spheres of human development.
“Summit noted that the crisis of over-centralisation has led to mass misery in across the country with poverty levels at 72 per cent, unemployment rate at 65 per cent internal immigration and internal displacement, security threat in form of Boko Haram, herdsmen and organised crime.
“Summit convinced that Nigeria is careering dangerously to the edge of the slope except urgent steps are taken to restructure Nigeria from a unitary constitution to a federal constitution as negotiated by our founding fathers at independence in 1960, it was resolved as follows:
“That Yoruba are clear that restructuring does not mean different things to different people other than that a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria can only know real peace and development if it is run ONLY along federal lines.
“That the greatest imperatives of restructuring Nigeria is to move from a rent-seeking and money sharing anti-development economy to productivity by ensuring that the federating units are free to own and develop their resources. They should pay agreed sums to the federation purse to implement central services.
“That the federating units- whether states, zones or regions must themselves be governed by written constitution to curb impunity at all levels. Nigeria shall be a federation comprised of six regions and the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
“The Federal Government shall make laws and only have powers in relation to items specified on the legislative list contained in the constitution of the Federation. The Regions shall in turn be composed as states.
“Each Region shall have its own constitution containing enumerated exclusive and concurrent legislative lists regarding matters upon which the regions and the states may act or legislate.
“Contiguous territories, ethnic nationalities or settlement shall be at liberty through a plebiscite, to elect to be part of any contiguous region other than the region in which the current geo-political zone or state boundaries places them.
“The power to create states shall be within the exclusive powers of the region which shall be obliged to create a state provided a plebiscite is conducted, following a request by an agreed percentage of the residents of the ethnic nationality within a state.
“The procedure for conducting a plebiscite and the percentage of any ethnic nationality shall be out in the regional constitution. The power to create local governments and assign functions to them shall be vested in the states.
“That these agreed positions of the Yoruba taken today shall form the basis of negotiations with our partners in the Nigerian project for a United Nigeria based on Justice, peace and fair play,” the communiqué read.
A senior advocate of Nigeria, Chief Niyi Akintola, SAN, moved a motion for the adoption of the communique, which was unanimously adopted by those present at the event.
Those in attendance included the governor of Ekiti State, Mr Ayodele Fayose; Ooni of Ife, Oba Enitan Ogunwusi II; former governor of Ondo State, Dr Olusegun Mimiko; former governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Chief Olu Falae; Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti; Chief Ayo Adebanjo; Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Sen Babafemi Ojudu; former Minister of Aviation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; former deputy governor of Lagos State, Sen. Kofoworola Bucknor-Akerele and former deputy governor of Ogun State, Senator Gbenga Kaka.
Others were the founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, Dr Frederick Fasehun; National Coordinator of OPC, Otunba Gani Adams; chairman of Yoruba Council of Elders, Chief Idowu Sofola; Sen Iyiola Omisore; Sen Mojisola Akinfenwa; Dr Doyin Okupe, Senior Special Assistant to former President Goodluck Jonathan; Col Tony Nyiam (retd); Chief Supo Shonibare; Mr Wale Oshun; Prof. Tunde Adeniran; Orangun of Ila, Oba Wahab Oyedokun; Oba Lekan Balogun, Otun Olubadan of Ibadanland; Oba Latifu Adebimpe, Ashipa Balogun of Ibadanland; Archbishop Ayo Ladigbolu, retired archbishop of Methodist Church Nigeria; Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi who was represented by Bashorun of Oyo, high Chief Yusuf Ayoola; Mr Babatunde Oduyoye, AD chieftain and Dr Yemi Farunmbi.
Meanwhile, former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and five of the six governors from the region were, however, absent. Also absent were members of the National Assembly from the zone.
Nwodo, who led a high-powered delegation from the South-East that included former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sen. Ike Nwachukwu, and former minister of Information, Dr. Walter Ofonagoro, to the summit, said: “With all humility, I extend the greetings of Ndigbo to Yoruba people.
“I have come with a very large delegation to emphasise our solidarity with you on this occasion. What is happening today (yesterday) shows that democracy has begun to grow in Nigeria.
“Many people have tried to destroy restructuring and I am saying that it is a ploy by some Nigerians to monopolise the God-given mineral resources in Southern Nigeria. I think those who are doing this do not love Nigeria.”
On his part, Horsfall, who represented the South-South zone, said: “We of the South-South have for several years run the economy of this country; we provided the engine room that runs Nigeria yet we are still expecting to have a privilege to run our own affairs. We do not want a federation based on unitary system. We are not mad; we are agitating for our rights.”
“What we are talking about here, we of the Niger Delta started it long ago. You recall the agitation for resource control. You can call me Mr. Resource Control,’’ the former chief spy officer of Nigeria said.
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