The governor of Bayelsa state, Seriake Dickson, said there was an urgent need to restructure Nigeria, as the current structure is not sustainable and would lead to an implosion of the nation.
The Obi of Onitsha, His Royal Majesty Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, has called for restructuring of Nigeria saying that will allow different regions to thrive independently.
The Punch reports that the monarch also said he preferred restructuring of the country to Igbo presidency in year 2023.
Achebe who made this known on Friday, August 24, in Jos after paying a courtesy visit to Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau state said Nigerians should discard the notion Igbo, Yoruba, or Hausa presidency.
Achebe said: “I think you are going into politics now; it is a shame that people are talking about Igbo presidency, Yoruba presidency and Hausa presidency. Nigeria should have a president who will attend to the needs of all Nigerians. That is the important thing. What is important for my people today are basic necessities of life, including employment for our children and health services.
“I don’t believe in regional presidency, I don’t believe in Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa presidency. It sounds divisive; we want a President of Nigeria that is elected by all Nigerians to take care of the interest of all Nigerians without showing any bias. That is what we are looking for.
“It is the basic necessities of life that matters; it doesn’t matter whether it is provided by Igbo president or Hausa president.
“There should be a president that should be a president for all Nigerians and not the President for one section or the other. Igbo presidency? It has to be president for the whole of Nigeria.”
According to him, Nigeria should be restructured in line with the regional system of government used by the British colonial administration before the country’s attainment of independence in 1960.
He said: “Yes, I think that most Nigerians also believe in restructuring because if the constitution is restructured, we will be going back to our independence constitution when we had the regions which were autonomous and yet, we also had a federal government in place.
“But the regions can now develop at their own pace; they will be happier and more united. But there is no one solution to the problems in Nigeria.
“It is an institutional solution; there are other problems in Nigeria. If the regions can have their own priority, then they will do the things to solve the problems. It is not one-size-fits-all solution.”
Dickson made his comments at the King of Glory Chapel at the Bayelsa Government House, after a service to mark the nation’s 57th independence anniversary celebration, on Sunday, October 1.
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