Politicians, activists disagree with Buhari on restructuring

Some politicians and activists have disagreed with President Muhammadu Buhari on an issue he raised in his new year broadcast that Nigeria’s problems were mainly on processes and not the structure.

Buhari, had, during a nationwide broadcast, said that his view about agitations for restructuring was that Nigeria’s problems were more to do with process than the structure.

The politicians and activists expressed disagreement with the President in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lagos on Thursday.

Chief Martin Onovo, a former Presidential Candidate of National Conscience Party, said that Nigeria’s problems were not mainly about processes.

“Nigeria’s problems are multifaceted including leadership, corruption and skewed structure. It is wrong to claim that the problems border mainly on processes,’’ he said.

Onovo, however, urged the President to fulfill his campaign promises to Nigerians.

Dr Joe Okei-Odumakin, the President of Women Arise for Change Initiative, said that there could never be a good process without a proper structure.

“It is difficult to have a good process without a proper structure. It is a case of a software and hardware.

“You put software in hardware. Nigeria must first get its structure right and a good process shall be added unto it,’’ Okei-Odumakin.

Mr Ehiz Omokhuale, the Lagos State Chairman of Civil Liberty Organisation, said processes should be means to the main objective of restructuring.

“Any system needs a process, the process is not the destination as the president believes, he is postponing our evil day if he does not embrace restructuring.

“The present system is over concentrating at the centre; it is a wasteful system for instance, the National Assembly and states. Our state governors are the richest set of humans on earth.

“That is why most governors gravitate to the National Assembly after their tenure to combine the buffet,’’ Omokhuale said.

Alhaji Musa Umar, a Chieftain in Kano Chapter of All Progressives Congress, urged Nigerians to understand the concept of restructuring.

“The concept of restructuring is not well understood by Nigerians, it means different things to varied opinions, ranging from power devolution, resource control, federal character and zoning of the presidency and so on.

“Whatever aspect of the Nigerian way of life we decide to restructure, it will come to naught if the processes are not right.

“However, being a democratic nation, if it is the wish of the majority to restructure, then let it be, we cannot run away from it forever.

“My fear is if we don’t have an attitudinal change and we can not get the processes right, restructuring may fail, then what?, ” Umar said.