Nigeria needs restructuring

IN many parts of the country, there have been calls for the restructuring of the polity. In the South-East, some youths have also called for the actualisation of the Bifra Republic, saying that this would free the Igbo people from the limitations that Nigeria currently imposes on them.

To be sure, those that are canvassing the restructuring of the country are not necessarily against Nigeria’s continued existence as a sovereign state.   Rather, they are against a system that encourages unecessary dependence on the Federal Government by the states. They believe that Nigeria should remain as one, indissoluble entity. However, it is their view that this should be based on terms that are mutually agreed by Nigerians.

It seems better in my opinion to allow the states/regions that make up the country to be self-sustaining economically, depending on the Federal Government only on matters like defence and foreign affairs.

The Federal Government has no land and should not be legislating on agriculture. It should also not be involved in primary education.

States should have their own police formations and should be free to grow at a pace that is decided by themselves. Since restructuring is one of the promises that the All Progressives Congress (APC) made to Nigerians before the last general election, I urge the Federal Government to listen to the cries of Nigerians in that regard.

 Oluwafunke Adebayo

Ibadan, Oyo State.