By Olakunle Olafioye
A group, Lovers of Hope for a Greater Nation, has said that genuine restructuring is possible in Nigeria without the fragmentation of the country along ethnic lines. The President of the group, Wale Olagunju, who made this known at a press briefing in Lagos, said the unveiling of the group’s proposal which he described as a non-violent and non-balkanized form of restructuring is billed for December.
Olagunju traced the roots of the agitations by secessionist groups in the country to the amalgamation of the north and south protectorates in 1914 and the twin problem of corruption and marginalization. He posited that Nigeria’s surest way out of the woods lies in genuine restructuring of the country.
Contrary to the notion of the restructuring which many proponents of the concept have canvassed, Olagunju views the idea of dividing Nigeria along ethnic lines of separate independent nations as unnecessary, saying the model will not bring the much-expected results. “Our leaders can change our nation beyond the level where it is today. This can be achieved through total and genuine restructuring and the rebranding of the country under a new name to be known as the United States of Nigeria (USN) into a sovereign country with sovereign states but without any form of division,” he said.
The president of the group noted that secessionist agitation which had become widespread every part of the country was being fueled by people’s desire for devolution of powers to the federating units to allow for self-development and to tackle their peculiar challenges in their own unique ways.
Olagunju revealed that the group would be unveiling the template for its proposal at a world press conference slated for December and called for the support of Nigerians toward the project. “We are exploring the opportunity of a world press conference to bring our leaders together at a round table discussion where we would give them our template to inspire a new lease of life in our people. This is a form of an advance invitation to all our leaders and stakeholders in the country. Formal invitations shall be sent in due course. We also want to use this medium to appeal for support, financially, morally and spiritually, from all Nigerians home and abroad to make this project a reality,” he stated.
He called for the support of the nation for the current administration, saying, “We desire that the present government under President Bola Tinubu succeeds. Therefore, we are pleading with the whole nation to team up with and support his government in restructuring Nigeria into a sovereign country with united and sovereign states that will be called the United States of Nigeria (USN).”