•We want a union of equals —Ohanaeze

•Igbo want equitable treatment, emancipation — Abaribe

•Reconstitute Nigeria to reflect autonomous regions — ADF

•Kill restructuring, kill Nigeria —ASETU

•We want true federalism, equal rights —Wabara

•Justice, fairness, accommodation for all ethnic groups —Prof. Adiele

•Restructuring that will regions 50% of their resources — Ahamba, SAN

•Ndigbo need true federalism —Prof Obasi Igwe

By Anayo Okoli, Ugochukwu Alaribe, Chimaobi Nwaiwu, Nwabueze Okonkwo, Chinedu Adonu, Chinonso Alozie, Ikechukwu Odu & Steve Oko

The raging clamour from various parts of Nigeria, particularly, the ethnic nationalities, including Igbo, is that Nigeria be restructured one way or the other.

Their agitations are prompted by some glaring imbalances in the way and manner the country is presently constituted and administered, with obvious bias tilting favorably to a section of the country.

The country is now run openly as a government of nepotism and sectionalism without any iota of respect for equity and fairness. So, in their agitations for restructuring, what actually do Ndigbo want?

The President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Prof. George Obiozor said what Igbo  in general  are  asking  for is clear and simple.

“Fundamentally what  Ndigbo really want is some form of internal autonomy based on a restructured Nigeria. Categorically stated, we are of the view that the federation of Nigeria must be a union of equals and the composite units must have the ability to stand without begging the centre for survival.

“That  is  a  federal system of government with its characteristics of decentralization and devolution  of  power  among the federating units”, Obiozor explained.

For foremost Igbo leader and elder statesman, Chief Mbazulike Amechi, restructuring is the minimum Nigeria should get if there must be peace  in the country.    According to him, “Restructuring will not solve Nigeria’s problem.

“However, Ndigbo stand for dialogue or you can call it a conference to draft a completely new constitution for Nigeria, which will be a constitution of the people of Nigeria.”

Amechi said he prefers a plebiscite where people will vote. “Restructuring, I do not know to what extent restructuring will go. It will never solve the problem of Nigeria but that is about the minimum that can be done now to assuage the feelings of neglect and marginalization if it comes through.

“The restructured Nigeria must allow Igbo a shot in the Presidency of the country; it is to let Igbo feel they are part of Nigeria because right now, under the present administration of Nigeria, the President of the country excludes Ndigbo totally from Nigeria affairs. To him, the Igbo do not belong to Nigeria and they should not be discussed. So Nigerian President of Igbo extraction will only confirm that Igbo are part of Nigeria and therefore if restructuring will take place, it has address some of the imbalances against Ndigbo being witnessed in Nigeria today.

“With the feeling that Ndigbo are just a dot in a circle, that is to say they are not important in Nigeria, but to me that is the opinion of a dictator. If the President says that is what he wants, we will be looking at him to see how far he will go with such opinion. I have said it that the present President of Nigeria does not like the Igbo and he does not hide it.

“He does not hide his hatred for Ndigbo. So for him to say that Igbo are a dot in a circle is unfortunate and shameful. It is unfortunate for a President to say that about a people. Honestly, it is an un-presidential language. A president worth his salt cannot use that language, it belittles the president, it belittles a president.

“Peace cannot reign in Nigeria without restructuring.The way forward and for peace to reign in Nigeria is giving Nigerians a new constitution; a constitution that is one sided can never allow peace to reign in Nigeria. Southern Nigeria produces the revenue.

”The North takes the revenue and then dashes out s pittance to producers of the revenue. How can there be peace? Without restructuring, you cannot have peace.

“Without the people having control of their resources, you cannot have peace in the country; I do not think there can be peace in the country.

“Some people advocate return to a regional set up but to me, that will not be possible with the present situation in the country where everybody wants an empire he will control where he can steal money. If you put that to plebiscite, it will not go through.We have 36 states in Nigeria; it should not be so. In order to create a balance, there will be one more state in the South East. The conference of 2014 recommended that a new state should be created in the South East but they have refused to implement the recommendations.

“The implication of South East having five states while others have above five is that in the National Assembly, the zone is losing the number of representatives that should represent a state. In the Senate, we a seat of three senators, in the cabinet there is a position of at least a compulsory minister because it is only by compulsory ministerial position that you find the Igbo in the present Buhari basket. If not, you will not see any Igbo in that cabinet,” Amechi said.

Senate Minority leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe said Ndigbo are demanding for equitable treatment in Nigeria. He said the marginalization of Ndigbo in the present set up has become unbearable.

According to Abaribe, despite the fact that Igbo are the glue that holds Nigeria, some people are trying to push them out but he said they are not going anywhere.

Speaking recently in Enugu at inauguration of Igbonine socio-cultural organization, Abaribe lamented that Igbo have been pushed to the fringes irrespective of the fact that they are the glue that holds Nigeria together and as the highest domestic investors.

The lawmaker said the present government is manifesting sectional leadership and unequal treatment which he said has been the problem of Nigeria.

“We are being highly marginalized. This Union called Nigeria is stiflingly everybody in Nigeria not just Igbo but other regions and I am glad that we are making noise to see how to change the situation.

“What do Igbo want? Igbo want emancipation. Our people have gone through a lot. We have gone through a civil war and lost over 3 million people. When the war ended, we were given only 20 Pounds but we rose through the ashes and survived.
“We are the glue that holds Nigeria together. We are the highest domestic investors; we are the most travelled in Nigeria. In any part of Nigeria, after the indigenous people, the next is Igbo.

“That is why anywhere you go, you must see an Igboman. We are really the federal Nigeria.  When they say you want to leave, we say no, some people want to push us out. We are not going to leave Nigeria for anybody.

“We have a government today that is manifesting sectional leadership. Boko Haram has been killing people but nothing was done to them. When our boys were carrying flags running round, it was easy for them to get them proscribed as a terrorist organization but the same government refused to designate Boko Haram which everybody know their activities, killing, destroying and bombing churches and institutions.

“When we challenge them, the Minister of information said that Boko Haram was faceless but our boys were known.

“This unequal treatment of people has been the problem of Nigeria. We are feeling tired of being alienated. The alienation is spreading across the country and no longer on Igbo.

“What we are now having is that even though there is problem everywhere, they want to paint Igbo as the people causing the problems.

“Our country Nigeria today is supposed to be inclusion of everybody because we are equal partners. We, the Igbo are glue that keeps Nigeria. Therefore, there must be deliberate efforts to bring everybody together.

“Igbo have been pushed to the fringes. When it is time for their rights, they will like to push them around. I will not like when it is time to give Igbo President, somebody will say there is a problem in Igbo land. Was there no trouble in the North West when Buhari was elected President? Infact, Buhari was nominated by Boko Haram during President Goodluck Jonathan’s Presidency to negotiate for them. 

“No amount of threat will deter us from demanding for equitable treatment in Nigeria. Nobody will stop us from doing that even to the position of the President. If the dominant position in Nigeria today is restructuring, then the minimal demand of Ndigbo in Nigeria cannot be anything less than that of restructuring.

“We cannot continue to be in a country where my own child will be required to score 140 percent to enter federal school while another child will be required to score just two to enter the same school”, Abaribe said.

The Association of South East Town Unions, ASETU, said the only way to kill Nigeria is to kill restructuring. What Ndigbo wants is a country that is fair, just, equitable, and prosperous. ASETU said the surest way to keep Nigeria united is to restructure it even as they said the nation as currently being operated “has gone completely dysfunctional, ever drifting towards its terminus.

“No federation in the world operates a unitary constitution as ours where every meaningful item of concern to people’s lives is contained in the exclusive legislative list of the central government”.

ASETU said Ndigbo want a country where their potentials can be unlocked and deployed for the benefit of mankind. Being a natural egalitarian society, Ndigbo want a country that reflects that genetic configuration inherent in them, where they are unencumbered in pursuit of their lofty goals. To realize this, powers and responsibilities must be devolved to the regions to take charge of the crucial aspects of the people’s lives.

“Again, the retrogressive quota system that breeds mediocrity in the educational and employment sectors has never served our collective interest. Restructuring means progress, accelerated development and economic interdependence. 

READ ALSO: We used 6 months to restructure governance; Edo now ready for commissioners — Obaseki

“With restructuring, the South East region will bring to bear its galaxy of stellar citizens with wizardry in creativity and peerless entrepreneurial spirit to evolve into an unrivalled manufacturing hub in Africa in various sectors, including vehicles in Nnwei. Aba alone has the capacity to meet the textiles needs of the entire continent.

Imo also will spring surprises that will create a better life for its people. The use of the flared gas in the Ohaji axis to generate power will be an obvious opportunity for increasing the power generation capacity of the region.

“Across the country, the potentials are limitless. If Nigeria is restructured, the South West will experience economic explosion resulting from the strategic nature of its location and its access to the sea. It will quickly raise an army of financial giants and globally recognized corporate executives.

“Generally, Nigeria will fulfill its expectations as the giant of Africa. Popular participation in the public sphere will ultimately guarantee good governance. In view of that,  Nigerians will attain high indices of economic prosperity”, ASETU National President, Chief Emeka Diwe said.

Former Senate President, Senator Adolphus Wabara said true federalism and equal rights for all are some of the amendments Ndigbo want to be reflected in the new constitution. According to him, the only option left for Ndigbo to continue to be part of Nigeria is true federalism as the country has continued to exclude the race from the scheme of things.

Senator Wabara said that the Nigeria created by the British in 1904 expired in 2014, and that “Nigerians now need a new Nigeria” to continue to co-exist.

“Ndigbo want true federalism, equal rights and justice. Since we are not wanted in the centre, weak centre and strong federating units or nations becomes an option. 

“Igbo must belong, and any attempt to exclude them means that the centre cannot hold. Same goes for other ethnic nationalities. British Nigeria expired in 2014. Nigerians now need Nigerian Nigeria”, Wabara said.

Elite Igbo group, Alaigbo Development Foundation, ADF, said that restructuring is the way to go for Ndigbo. The call for restructuring the Nigerian federation has been in the front burner of discourse because the Northern military which dominated political power from 1966-1999 developed Nigeria to favour the Northern Caliphate and that has been very injurious to the practice of true federalism in Nigeria.

“The quest for restructuring by Southerners and the Middle Belt has been stoutly rejected by the government of President Muhammadu Buhari. That rejection and rigidity by the pro-caliphate Buhari Presidency has created terrible crises in the polity and we can see that some elements from the mega ethnic nationalities have decided to opt for self-determination instead of suffocating in the crisis-riden Nigerian federation.

“We in ADF are calling for the reconstitution of the federation along the lines of Autonomous Regions. Let there be a national conference of Ethnic Nationalities to produce a  new people’s constitution”.

Vanguard News Nigeria