Abuja \u2013 Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says restructuring the
\ncountry is in the interest of the North in particular and the country in
\ngeneral.<\/p>\n
Atiku said this at the launch of a book titled: \u201cThe Nigerian Federalism;
\nContinuing the Quest for Stability and Nation Building\u2019\u2019 in Abuja on
\nMonday.<\/p>\n
The book, which was written by some federalism scholars in the African
\nPolicy Research Institute was edited by Mr Okechukwu Ibeanu and Alhaji
\nMohammad Kuna.<\/p>\n
The former Vice President described the book as an important intervention,
\nadding that it would contribute to the ongoing debate on the country`s
\nfederalism and possibly settle the issues.<\/p>\n
He noted that the structure and practice of Nigerian federalism had been a
\nkey topic of discussion and debates since the amalgamation of the North
\nand South Protectorates in 1914.<\/p>\n
He said that this was with varying levels of intensity, adding that
\nopinions of different section of the country on the topic were all
\nlegitimate.<\/p>\n
Atiku, however, said that what he found odd and somewhat unhelpful was the
\nargument of those who said that the country`s unity could not be
\nrenegotiated.<\/p>\n
He said that those with such arguments usually proceeded to equate every
\ndemand for restructuring the country as an attempt to break the country.<\/p>\n
He stressed that every form of human relationships was negotiable while
\nevery political relationship was open for negotiations without pre-set
\noutcomes.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs a democrat and businessman I do not fear negotiations. That is what
\nreasonable human beings do. This is even more important if a stubborn
\nresistance against negotiations can lead to unsavoury outcomes.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have spoken a number of times on the need to restructure our federation
\nin order to devolve more power and resources to the federating units.<\/p>\n
\u201cRecently in Kaduna, I told an audience of mostly my compatriots from the
\nNorth, where most of the resistance against restructuring seems to come
\nfrom that restructuring is in the interest of the North and Nigeria,\u2019\u2019 he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Atiku maintained that federalisms across the world were works in progress,
\nadding that there was no ideal federal system or true federalism as
\nclaimed.<\/p>\n
He added that each nation had to work out the best federal system that
\nsuited it. He said that Nigerians must acknowledge that it was
\ndisingenuous if not outright dishonest to say that the system was not the
\nproblem.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf the problem is just the operators; how come we have failed for 50
\nyears to produce the right people?,\u2019\u2019 the former Vice President queried.<\/p>\n
Atiku said that national unity did not mean the absence of disagreement or
\nagitations.<\/p>\n
According to him, disagreements and peaceful agitations indicate vibrant
\nand living relationships, while the key to making national progress is to
\nmanage those disagreements in peaceful and mature ways.<\/p>\n
He said that political and civic leaders from across the country must come
\ntogether, discuss, negotiate and make the necessary compromises and
\nsacrifices needed to restructure the federation.<\/p>\n
He said that this would make the people stronger, more united, and
\nproductive and make the country more competitive. The former Vice
\nPresident later lunched the book with the sum of N5 million. Mr Chris
\nUche, the Chairman of the occasion, described the book as the most
\ncomprehensive and authoritative on Nigerian federalism, adding that it was
\na critical assessment and real definition of the subject matter. Amb.
\nSunday Dogonyaro, the Executive Director of African Policy Research
\nInstitute, said that the institute took the initiative to write the book
\nthree years ago. He said that the book was not a personal view neither was
\nit a political book but one that would help to explain the Nigerian
\nfederalism and why certain policies were taken. The occasion was attended
\nby former ambassadors and representatives of some government agencies.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Abuja \u2013 Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar says restructuring the country is in the interest of the North in particular and the country in general. Atiku said this at the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49771,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-55023","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-exclusive"],"yoast_head":"\n