Nigeria must restructure before next general election, SMBLF insists

Southern and Middle-Belt Leaders Forum (SMBLF), on Wednesday, insisted on restructuring of the country before any national election could hold as it sadly noted that the inequalities in the polity multiplied everywhere, declaring that enough of any section playing supremacist role again as if the rest were fools.

SMBLF made this declaration in a communiqué, titled: “You can’t dictate to us anymore- SMBLF tells Core North,” issued at the end of its emergency meeting in Abuja, the Federal Capital City.

According to the communiqué, the emergency meeting was held to deliberate, among others on the parley between the Northern states Governors and Northern states Emirs and Chiefs and Arewa leaders in topmost positions in the current regime, which took place on Monday, November 2, 2020.

SMBLF meeting chaired by PANDEF Leader, Chief Edwin K. Clark; and attended by Chief Ayo Adebanjo (for Afenifere Leader), Chief John Nwodo (President General, Ohanaeze), Dr Pogu Bitrus (President, Middle Belt Forum), among others, frowned at the Northern governors’ parley with Northern traditional rulers and other leaders from the region, describing it as insensible and insensitive as well as total subversion of the unity of the country that only existed on the lips of those behind the meeting.

The leaders said they did not see any responsibility displayed by those who had been serially accused of sectionalizing the national government to allow such kind of meeting to hold, and further described the parley as most distractive and divisive, and thereby making the country “widely scattered,” as against its indivisibility, “coming aftermath of the #EndSARS protest when we should be putting heads together nationally to seek solutions to our problems.”

“We foresaw all that is happening now, which is why we have been calling for restructuring as a multi-ethnic country like Nigeria can only be run along federal lines.

“We were not oblivious of the damage the military did to this country by using fiat to create LGAs with headquarters in the villages of top shots mostly from the North. Kano State today has 44 Local Governments and Bayelsa has 8 (eight).

“When you want to recruit 10 policemen per LGA, Bayelsa will have 80 and Kano 44O. That affects where the materials to be drawn into SARS and others are drawn.

“The inequalities multiply everywhere. And this is why we insist on restructuring of the country now before we go for any national election.

“We make it abundantly clear to our colleagues from the core North that yesterday ended last night and Never Again shall this country be run the same old way. No section of the country can play any supremacist role again as if the rest of us are fools,” SMBLF vowed

“It is either we live together as equals under the same rules of engagement or we explore other options as dignified human beings,” it further vowed.

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SMBLF, while further condemning the Northern governors and elders’ parley, said it was not also lost on the Forum that the communique of the meeting was making space for National Executive Council nominations to a sectional initiative, noting that such move amounted to the utmost level of disregard to the rest of the country whom they were treating as serfs when all citizens were supposed to be joint and equal stakeholders in project Nigeria.

The leaders wondered where would the country be heading to if every section also decided to call their own meeting with their governors and top officials in the Federal Government and further wondered the quality of humanity of any group meeting at this period of mournings not to have a word of compassion for those that were recklessly murdered by state forces and hired thugs during the #EndSARS protests across the country.

“The meeting coming aftermath of the #EndSARS protest when we should be putting heads together nationally to seek solutions to our problems is most distractive, divisive and made Nigeria widely scattered as against the ‘indivisibility’ and other non-sequiturs that were regurgitated at the end of it.

“Where would this country be heading to if we also decide to call our own meeting with our Governors and top officials in the Federal Government? SMBLF queried.

“We do not see any responsibility displayed by those who have been serially accused of sectionalizing our national government to allow such insensibility, insensitivity and total subversion of the unity of the country that only exists on the lips of those behind the meeting.

“It is not also lost on us that the communique of the meeting was making space for National Executive Council nominations to a sectional initiative as the utmost level of disregard to the rest of the country whom they are treating as serfs when we are supposed to be joint and equal stakeholders in the project called Nigeria.

“Meeting wondered the quality of humanity of any group meeting at this period of mournings not to have a word of compassion for those that were recklessly murdered by state forces and hired thugs during the protests,” it said.

On the #EndSARS issue, the Forum deeply mourned with all families who lost dear ones in the crisis, praying God to comfort them, while it also prayed that those who wantonly destroyed lives should pay grievously for their deeds.

However, SMBLF rejected what it termed the indecent approach to paint the peaceful #EndSARS protesters in dark colours, saying they (protesters) made their demands clear and were orderly before the violent Nigerian state allegedly deployed armed soldiers and thugs in 911 lorries against them.

According to the leaders, it is sheer wickedness to place raw power above every other national interest by playing the “regime change” label on the peaceful protesters who they said were not armed like Boko Haram terrorists that the Federal Government “is chasing about with negotiations in the same spirit it has been cuddling and pampering killer herdsmen.”

“We do not see the thoughtfulness in the celebration of Northern youths not participating in #EndSARS protests as if they did not also loot like their deprived young people in other areas of the country which shows they are suffering the same thing,” the leaders said.

“But instead of treating leprosy our counterparts are dealing with eczema,” they concluded.

Others leaders at the meeting include; AVM Idongesit Nkanga, Chief Broderick Bozimo, Mr Solomon Asemota (SAN), Senator Bassey Henshaw, Prof G. G. Darah, Chief TKO Okorotie, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, Sen. Kofoworola Akerele-Buknor, Sen. Femi Okurounmu, Chief Supo Sonibare, Mr Yinka Odumakin, Chief Demola Folarin and Dr Akin Fapohunda.

The rest are: Chief Guy Ikokwu, Dr Chukwuemeka Ezeife, Barr. Chuks Muomah (SAN), Barr Mike Ahamba (SAN), Mr. Madu Bright O. Allwell, Barr. Chuks Achi-Okpaga, Chief Alex Ogbonnia, Air Cmdor Dan Suleiman, Dr S. D. Gani, Elder Stephen Bangoji, Hon Jonathan Asake, Mr Chris Aba, Bar Mark Jacob and Barr Festus Nyiwo.

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE