Restructuring: Allow regions in Nigerian have their distinct constitutions -Afenifere leader, Adebanjo

A leader of Yoruba socio-cultural group, Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, has suggested a restructuring strategy for Nigeria that would aenable each region of the country to have its own distinct Constitution to reflect the autonomy and differences among the regional units.

Adebanjo aired his opinion in Lagos while speaking at a political colloquium yesterday, Thursday.

The Afenifere leader said: “Nigeria is running a unitary system of government; you cannot run Nigeria as a military system of government considering the ethnic groups. We have passed that stage.

“Don’t let anybody tell you lies, the word restructuring is not a strange or new word. All we are fighting for today dated back to 1954.”

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Noting the role of the military in dismantling the autonomy of the various regions, he said: “It was the military that destructured Nigeria. Awolowo fought to have an arrangement that ensured a true federal system, he never went to the Federal Government to ask for subsidy. Each region had its constitution. Western Region had its Agent-General in Britain. Regions built their own universities. Obasanjo federalised the universities.”

“Nigeria is running a unitary system of government; you cannot run Nigeria as a unitary system of government considering the ethnic groups. We have passed that stage.

“Let us restructure now, without it, there would be no Nigeria. It must be now, not in 2019,” he added.