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Chukwudi Nweje
Afenifere chieftain and elder statesman, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to restructure Nigeria if he desired a united country.
He said the upsurge in separatist agitations across the country was because the variou components were not comfortable with the subsisting 1999 Constitution.
Adebanjo spoke against the backdrop of the recent declaration by the leader of Yoruba World Congress (YWC), Prof. Banji Akintoye, that there would be no going back on the renewed push for an Oduduwa Republic for the Yoruba nation.
He advised against using force or taking any action that might cause harm to those calling for Nigeria’s breakup.
He said the only way to avert dismembering Nigeria was for the people to sit at a table, discuss and agree on a constitution under which they will coexist as one country.
“Nigeria must restructure now because if it doesn’t, anything can happen. We must restructure Nigeria back to true federalism, we will not make any progress under this constitution. It is the agitation for restructuring by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Oduduwa that President Buhari calls separation. My conviction is that if Buhari refuses to restructure the country now, anything can happen. The agitation going on in Nigeria is because people are restive. That is why people are calling for Oduduwa Republic, IPOB is calling for Biafra and the Middle Belt is calling for separation because they feel cheated under the 1999 Constitution. So, if President Buhari is honest and sincere about keeping Nigeria together, he must restructure the country, so that we will agree on the constitution under which we are going to stay together. If he doesn’t, then he is encouraging separation,” Adebanjo said.
