Ohanaeze Ndigbo, NBA, NGOs, others back Southern Governors on restructuring

Following the seventeen Southern Governors’ resolution banning open grazing, and call for restructuring and state policing, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Ebonyi State chapter, Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), and the civil society organizations have thrown their support behind the governors on the restructuring of the country.

They made this known in an interview with Tribune Online on Wednesday.

They then call on the governors not to politicise the state police by recruiting their thugs only to intimidate their opposition.

According to Dr Peter Mbam, President Ohanaeze Ndigbo Ebonyi State chapter, he said, “On the decision of the governors, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Ebonyi State chapter is 100 per cent in support. The decision of the South-East governors which have our Governor as the Chairman, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Ebonyi State is also in support for the strive for an Igbo man to be president, Ohanaeze Ndigbo is in support of all the measures, our Governor and South-East governors have taken to ensure security in the region, Ohanaeze Ndigbo is working hand-in-glove with them.

While the Chairman Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth wing, Ebonyi State chapter, Comrade Obia Sabastine, indicated that insecurity is a very great challenge to the governors and there is an urgent need to bring a solution to it.

“I align myself with restructuring as a resolution reached because it is a very good one and if it is adopted, I think Nigeria would come back to what it supposed to be,” he added.

“On that note, I said it will not be to the best of Nigerians to introduce community policing because the governors will hijack it and it will be political that any party controlling the state will only recruit their members to do the job and they will instruct them to be maltreating other political parties and they will not be independent again, so that is the area that some of us are looking at that such community policing cannot help Nigeria but restructuring. So I think the issue of community policing should be abolished.”

In his own reaction, the chairman, NBA Ebonyi State chapter, Barr. Okorie said that there are matters that are constitutional, apparently, there is insecurity in the country, so he thinks the governors’ resolution is to promote peace because of the loss of lives.

“Everybody is advocating for restructuring, to help us recognize all the section in the country and not to treat anybody as a second class citizens. We have one Nigeria and remains one? If we are one, there are basic things that need to be harmonised so that every part of the country is recognised as much as the other,” he added.

Meanwhile, Mr Chima Oliver Ajah Executive Director, Development and Integrity Intervention Goal Foundation, Barr. Okorie said, “In most cases, I don’t align myself with the governors’ forum because they are the problem we are having in this country. When they pass a resolution, they do any kind of consultation with the citizens before passing that resolution or is just 17 of them decide.”

“Coming to the issue of state police, let’s use the issue of Ebube Agu Security Network as an example, I saw that they have already started operation, now you ask yourself how they were recruited, who were there? So I am of the opinion that state police should be independent and not under the political gurus,” he added.

Furthermore, People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain and former Delta State governorship aspirant, Chief Sunny Onuesoke, has commended the decision of the 17 southern governors in Nigeria to ban open cattle grazing and restructuring of the country.

The PDP stalwart also commended their recommendation for the activation and establishment of ports in other states of the federation to create new jobs and promote socio-economic activities in the country.

Recall that the governors in the 17 states of Nigeria in a 12-point communique at the end of their four-hour meeting held in Asaba, the Delta State capital on Tuesday, resolved that open grazing of cattle be banned across Southern Nigeria.

The forum, which expressed concern over the continued gridlock on the Oshodi-Apapa Expressway, equally recommended the activation and establishment of ports in other states of the federation to create new jobs and promote socio-economic activities in the country.

Reacting to the governors’ recommendations on Wednesday in Warri, Onuesoke said the governors’ decision was a step in the right direction and the best ever.

He advised them to back the prohibition of open grazing with the necessary laws in their respective domains and put up formidable structures for strict enforcement.

“Bravo to the Governors!!! Enough is enough. This a good move for the seventeen governors to unite against a common enemy. Unity is the key.

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