North not afraid of restructuring —Ambassador Kwande

A staunch member of Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), who is also one of the founding members of All Progressives Congress (APC), Ambassador Yahaya Kwande, has condemned the belief in certain quarters that the North was afraid of restructuring of the country, saying it is wrong to label the north as such, considering its diversity and level of development.

Speaking with Nigerian Tribune in Jos, the elder statesman said there were people who strongly believe in the restructuring of the country in the north and could be classified as proponents and strong advocates, adding that the southern part of the country may initiate it but recent proponent in the  north is former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

Said he, “Though it might be the position of the southern part of the country, recently, the former vice president lent his voice to restructuring. If I recollect correctly, Atiku said that centre had too much power to the extent that we are almost running a unitary government. There are people who do not mind restructuring in the north just as there are few southerners against the move. So, it is wrong to label the north as anti-restructuring”.

He charged Nigerians and the government of the day to visit the reports of various conferences organized by the previous administrations to gauge opinions of Nigerians over the issue adding that it was  a wrong assumption to say the north was afraid of restructuring.

“Some people may interpret it to mean breaking the country while to others, it may mean decentralisation or devolution of power at the centre. The issue has been a recurring decimal and my advice to the government is to study various reports of National conferences organised by the previous administrations”.

Ambassador Kwande, who was also a former Nigeria ambassador to Switzerland, said the APC had fulfilled most of its electoral promises adding that the fight against corruption by the administration has, to some extent, brought sanity to governance and private sectors in the country.

“The APC-led government at the centre has performed very well and as well injected sanity into public life. In Plateau State, the Simon Lalong administration has brought peace and harmonious relationship among various communities that were in crises before its inauguration. The prevailing atmosphere of peace in the state is a big achievement to APC-led administration in the state”, he said.

He implored Nigerians to be patient and pray for President Mohammadu Buhari, adding that as citizens, there is the need to always remember those in leadership positions in prayer so that it can be well with the country.