Archbishop Emeritus of Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Cardinal Anthony<\/p>\n
Okogie, has warned that President Buhari’s government risked a revolution
\nif he failed to address challenges threatening Nigeria’s corporate
\nexistence. His warning coincides with a call for the restructuring of
\nNigeria’s federal system by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar.<\/p>\n
Speaking in Lagos as part of his preparation for his 80th birthday and his
\n50th priestly ordination anniversary, Okojie said President Buhari needs
\nto address the jagged edges of the Nigerian state or risk a revolution.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe swearing in of the APC government last year was perceived as a major
\nmilestone in the people\u2019s quest for positive change and improvement in
\ntheir quality of life. But a year later, thousands of workers are being
\nlaid off every day, the value of the Naira is falling drastically, while
\nmany states are owing their workers many months of unpaid salaries,\u201d he
\nsaid, warning that government must thread softly with Biafran agitators
\nand Niger Delta Avengers in view of the pervasive poverty in the land.<\/p>\n
Okogie noted that \u201cthere is a popular saying that to jaw jaw is better
\nthan to war war. I am aware that the Niger Delta Avengers have reeled out
\na number of conditions to be met before seizing further attacks on oil
\ninstallations. I am equally aware that President Buhari has vowed to deal
\ndecisively with the militants”.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhile condemning the disruption of our oil facilities under any guise, I
\nequally want to stress that the use of military force is not a
\nsolution,\u201dhe said.<\/p>\n
Speaking at the presentation of a book entitled, “We Are All Biafrans”
\nwritten by activist and journalist, Chido Onuma, Atiku posited that
\nNigeria as presently constituted is not working saying greater autonomy to
\nthe states is the panacea to the country’s multi-pronged challenges.<\/p>\n
\u201cNigeria is not working, as well as it should, and part of the reason is
\nthe poor way we have structured our economy and governance especially
\nsince 1960. That situation needs to change and calling for that change is
\npatriotic,\u201d he said.
\nThe ruling party chieftain said those calling for a restructured Nigeria
\nshould not be labeled “unpatriotic Nigerians” as such positions bordered
\non the realities of the Nigerian state.<\/p>\n
\u201cAgitations by many right-thinking Nigerians call for a restructuring and
\nrenewal of our federation to make it less centralised, less suffocating
\nand less dictatorial in the affairs of our country\u2019s constituent units and
\nlocalities.
\n\u201cAs some of you may know, I have for a long time advocated the need to
\nrestructure our federation. Our current structure and the practices it
\nhas encouraged have been a major impediment to the economic and political
\ndevelopment of our country. In short it has not served Nigeria well, and
\nat the risk of reproach it has not served my part of the country, the
\nNorth, well.
\n\u201cThe call for restructuring is even more relevant today in light of the
\ngovernance and economic challenges facing us. And the rising tide of
\nagitations, some militant and violent, require a reset in our
\nrelationships as a united nation.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSome may say that we are saddled with more urgent challenges, including
\nrebuilding our battered economy, creating jobs, fighting corruption and
\nsecuring our people from terrorism and other forms of serious crimes. I
\nbelieve, however, that addressing the flaws in our federation will help us
\naddress some of those very economic and security challenges facing this
\ncountry.
\n\u201cNigeria must remain a united country. Our potential is enormous. But I
\nalso believe that a united country, which I think most Nigerians desire,
\nshould never be taken for granted or taken as evidence that Nigerians are
\ncontent with the current structure of the federation.<\/p>\n
\u201cMaking that mistake might set us on the path of losing the country we
\nlove or, as Chido Onumah puts it, result in our \u2018country sleepwalking to
\ndisaster.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cLet me quickly acknowledge that no federal system is set for all time.
\nThere are always tensions arising from matters relating to the sharing of
\npower, resources and responsibilities. But established democracies have
\ndeveloped peaceful mechanisms for resolving such conflicts among the tiers
\nof government. They recognise that negotiations and compromises are
\neternal.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAn excessively powerful center does not equate to national unity.
\nAbsolutely not. If anything, it has made our unity more fragile, our
\ngovernment more unstable and our country more unsafe. We must renegotiate
\nour union in order to make it strong.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cGreater autonomy, power and resources for state and local authority will
\ngive the federations units greater freedom and flexibility to address
\nlocal issues for their priorities and peculiarities. It will reduce the
\npremium placed on capturing power at the center. It will reduce
\ninsecurity. It will promote healthy rivalry amongst federations units,\u201d
\nhe said.<\/p>\n
He noted that \u201cIt will help to unleash our people\u2019s creative energies and
\nspur more development. It will reduce the premium placed on capturing
\npower at the centre. It will help with improving security. It will promote
\nhealthy rivalries among the federating units and local authorities. It
\nwill help make us richer and stronger as a nation.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Archbishop Emeritus of Catholic Archdiocese of Lagos, Cardinal Anthony Okogie, has warned that President Buhari’s government risked a revolution if he failed to address challenges threatening Nigeria’s corporate existence. His…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":45890,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17,5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-49773","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n