Secession Threat: Group Blames Elites over Delayed Restructuring of Nigeria

By Anayo Okolie 

The Concerned Niger Delta Youths Initiative has blamed the heightened threats of secession in the country on the Nigerian political elites for orchestrating the delay in restructuring Nigeria. 

A statement made available by the group after an emergency meeting in Port Harcourt on the current upsurge in secession threats and clamours for restructuring of the country, the group believes that with a restructured federalism, Nigeria was bound to return to its path of greatness and leadership of Africa. 

The group however, asserted that now that all sections of the country had seen reasons with its earlier avowed position, a thorough job should be made of the return to true federalism encompassing resource control. 

The statement which indicted the political elite for the unpleasant state of the country, also observed that subsequent executive and legislative arms of the federal government were engaged in endless reluctance and procrastination against correcting the structural imbalance of Nigeria’s federalism. 

According to the founder of the peace advocacy group, Comrade Ebis Orubebe, this organisation welcomed the growing support from various quarters across the country for its earlier position for restructuring and resolved with renewed vigour and determination at this daunting period of diminishing patriotism and national productivity to pursue urgent and far-reaching reforms of the current structures of the country’s federalism to serve as effective discouragement for the pervading discontent and raging agitations for secession by ethnic groups.  

He added that restructuring the country remained the reliable, potent and cost-effective approach to dealing with the current magnitude of corruption and underdevelopment of the country.

 

The Concerned Niger Delta Youths Initiative expressed disappointment that the political elites who served in subsequent executives and legislatures had, for decades of managing the affairs of the country fallen into the booby trap of selfishness and deceit, therefore lost the patriotism to honourably backpedal from their persisting rigid stand against the will of the people of Nigeria for the restructuring. 

 

Thus, the group noted that government of the day should, as a matter of urgent national importance concede to the restructuring of the country to enable the rebirth of new and vibrant federal democracy that would technically facilitate any anti-corruption programme meant to achieve meaningful success.

 

The group stated that the current state of affairs in the country validates existing doubts on the capacity of most of political elites to lead and govern the country as true servants of the people having exhibited lack of patriotic desire to accomplish political goals that are particularly remarkable, noting that it is now obligatory on federal authorities in the country to find fulfillment in governing their citizens in accordance with their yearnings and aspirations by summoning the political will to implement the bidding of Nigerians in line with the principles and character of federalism in order to avert the increasing territorial scramble involving armed ethnic militia.