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Job Osazuwa
Aare Onakakanfo of Yorubaland and National Coordinator of the Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Gani Adams, has re-echoed the urgent need to restructure Nigeria.
He said if the Federal Government refuses to restructure the country in the next few months, the association would have no better choice than to take a political stand.
Speaking during the celebration of OPC’s 25th anniversary in Lagos, yesterday, he lamented that the way Nigeria is structured would lead it to disaster.
Adams restated that for several years, the OPC has been demanding a total restructuring of the country.
“Unfortunately, we have not seen any tangible evidence or sign that we are moving in that direction. All of us know that the way the country is presently structured can only bring nothing but disaster.
“Everybody, who has followed the agitation on restructuring, knows that all government need to do is to implement the recommendations of the national conference convoked by the administration of former president, Goodluck Jonathan. It is in this light that I say, if in the next few months, there is no tangible evidence that the country will be restructured, then OPC will become partisan.
“The details we are still keeping to our chest. But with a membership of over six million, even if it is members of the legislature at the states and federal levels that we are able to produce, we will be in a position to influence what happens in the government at all levels. Time for ‘siddon look’ is over,” he said.
The Aare Onakakanfo said OPC has grown from the previous outlook of largely illiterate members who were hitherto regarded as back benchers. He revealed that about 30 percent of members of the National Coordinating Council (NCC) were graduates, while over 96 pe cent of Oodua Progressive Union (OPU) members are graduates.
He disclosed that in the last two months, the police hierarchy has engaged OPC in talks, which he said would unfold in the next six weeks. He said the body was also discussing with the South West governors on ways to secure the zone.
On the 25-year journey of the organisation, he said: “The road to where we are has been rough and tortuous. It has been full of ups and downs. Our founding father, the late Dr. Frederick Fasehun, was in prison for over 25 months over this struggle. I spent 17 months in detention after being declared wanted and in hiding for about 14 months. We lost no fewer than 2,500 members to this struggle.
“One of the areas that got people confused the most was where OPC belongs religion-wise. Some were quick to label all members as traditionalists. But they are wrong. OPC is perhaps the most liberal when it comes to religion. We have adherents of all religions.”
The guest speaker, Prof. Gabriel Tunde Babawale said the congress has transformed from militancy to nationalism and cultural diplomacy within and outside Nigeria.
He charged the OPC to always respect the human rights of other people and stressed the need for the country to promote social justice and respect for all ethnic groups across Nigeria.
