Restucturing: South afraid of North’s size —Unongo

The Northern Elders Forum convener, Sir Paul Unongo, has said the South is clamouring for restructuring simply because it is afraid of the size of the northern region.

‘If they start talking about restructuring the first thing that is disturbing them is the size of the North, I always ask what are you talking about if you talk about restructuring? That’s why I don’t comment on restructuring until there is an acceptable definition of it.

Speaking, in an interview, he added, ‘If I know what it really means then one will be able to make an input.

‘But the thing is people like Abubakar Atiku who are shouting restructuring thought that President Muhammadu Buhari was going to die so they started throwing all kinds of things around to distract people’s attention by drumming restructuring! restructuring!!

‘To me, they should not hide under the toga of it (restructuring) they should come out and tell us they are going to contest election in 2019 whether Buhari is there or not. You see, we have serious problems in the country that the ticket of Buhari /Osinbajo is grappling with. I think most of the discussion about restructuring is completely diversionary.”

Also speaking, the General Secretary of the Textiles Workers, Comrade Issa Aremu, remarked that the country did not need restructuring, but a political and economic transformation.

“I think what the country urgently needs now is a political and economic transformation and not restructuring.”

He posited that ‘the country needed a revolution rooted in values, massive industrialisation, equal wealth distribution, poverty eradication, mass employment and enhanced productivity.

‘Nigeria is degenerating into a debating society like the ancient Athenian societies instead of modern 21st century productive economies like China, India, Brazil and South Africa. To me, the current debate on restructuring is diversionary as it prevents genuine and legitimate attempts at holding the elected officials accountable for their promises of uninterrupted power supply, job creation, fight against corruption and poverty.”

However, Air Vice Marshall Umar Muhammad, former military governor of Kaduna had a contrary view.

He said the present system needed complete overhauling. “Even though, there is no clear definition of the word restructuring, but I am of the view that the present arrangement should be reviewed if that is what is meant by restructuring.

“After all, what is the Northern states benefiting. We are a region with great potential. Is it agriculture or is it mineral resources? So, the present arrangement does not allow us to develop. I believe this is the time for the region to develop.”