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IYM anniversary: Amaechi, Attah, Abdulsalam insist on restructuring
Elder statesman and First Republic Aviation Minister, Chief Mbazulike Amaechi; former Akwa Ibom State governor, Obong Victor Attah and a national leader of O’dua Peoples Congress (OPC), Comrade Abdulsalam Ambali have insisted that Nigeria must be restructured to save it from collapse.
The leaders who spoke in Enugu, Thursday, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Igbo Youth Movement (IYM) founded by Evang. Elliot Uko, took turns to dissect the country’s challenges and returned with the verdict that the only way to stop the country from sinking was restructuring, which according to them must be done urgently.
In his remarks, Chief Amaechi who described himself as one of the “10 surviving freedom fighters in Nigeria, argued that “for there to be permanent peace, the country must meet and renegotiate the basis of the union in a fraternal way”.
According to him, “Today, we are living in a country that is full of danger. We are living in a country where there is no peace. Today, we living in a country where majority live in fear. Today, we are riding in a ship that may tip over and sink any day.
“Today, we are living in a country where rulers refuse to listen to the loud cries of the ruled, today we are living in a country where the rich are getting richer and the poor getting poorer; a country where the corrupt and criminal elements are in control. We are living in a country that is ruled with a constitution that is not the peoples constitution,” he said.
Amaechi who was an integral part of the independence movement in the 1950s, also argued that as long as Nigeria is being ruled without the people constitution’s, it is ruled as “an elected illegality”.
He emphasised that, “the leaders of Nigeria, not just politicians alone, must meet in a friendly and brotherly atmosphere to objectively look at our past and in a spirit of give and take, see where we have made mistakes in the past, and pronounce forgiveness where necessary”.
Amaechi regretted that those in power are resisting calls for restructuring, preferring instead to play to the gallery, but warned that the country could explode in their hands.
He called on the youths of the country to take to the streets in nonviolent manner to demand for restructuring, as according to him, organisations such as Ohanaeze, Afenifere, PANDEF and so on, do not have the power to force restructuring.
“For there to be permanent peace, the country must meet and renegotiate the basis for the union in fraternal way. Those in authority are reluctant or unwilling to meet and find solution,” he said.
“The Afenifere, Ohanaeze, Niger Delta and Middle Belt Organizations along with Southern Nigeria Peoples Union, have all met and demanded for the restructuring of the country.
“These elitist organisations cannot force or compel the powers that be to agree to restructuring when the present position designed and crafted by their military leaders and handed over to them suits their purpose.
“The pious resolutions of Ohanaeze/Afenifere and others are like whispering an advice to a deaf ear. Only action, peaceful, non-violent, non-provocative action will force a come together of the leaders and politicians.
“Youths and people of the present age give the impression that they are indolent, lazy, cowardly, unpatriotic, and even mercenary. If the youths, students, organized labour, market men and women, religious leaders, professionals, civil liberties organizations, interstate transporters, rise up and commence non-stop, non-violence, peaceful demonstration, by the time they would have been on the road for one or two weeks, they would have drawn the attention of the world.
“Miscreants and looters should be arrested by the demonstrators and handed over to security agents. It happened in Egypt; it is now happening in Hong Kong. If you people don’t move to secure your future, nobody will do it for you. We have done our own in our time.”
Delivering a paper titled, “How to make Nigeria work,” Obong Attah also maintained that Nigeria must adopt true federalism if it were to develop.
He stated that “our system of sharing is the problem as nobody can distribute the money equitably.”
The former Akwa Ibom governor noted that the solution of the nation was in true federalism which, according to him, guarantees resource control and development based on resources available to the states.
He faulted recent assertion that only four states of the country were viable based on their internally generated revenue, saying that if the revenues from those state that were taken to Abuja for sharing were left for them, they would have been better off.
He however, disagreed with suggestions for states to be merged, saying that nobody would like to relinquish power.
“The best alternative,” he argued, “would be for regional cooperation by the State to pursue development.”
Attah urged the youths to work with the elders to achieve the desired true federalism.
“Whatever that may have been your grudges, talk to the elders with respect. If a new Nigeria comes today, it will be a new Nigeria for everybody,” he said.
The OPC leader, Ambali in his own remarks, also argued that the time restructuring had come, as according to him, the current system was no longer sustainable.
Speaking in similar terms, IYM founder and Secretary General of Eastern Consultative Assembly, Evang. Uko called for dialogue and meeting of minds, which he said he has promoted in the last two decades.
He recalled that the late Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu had delivered the maiden IYM lecture in 1999, while second republic Governor of old Anambra state, Chief Christian Onoh was the Chairman.
Other speakers at the event include former secretary general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nduka Eya; leader of Igbo Women Assembly, Chief (Mrs.) Maria Okwor and Mr. Uwakwe Azikiwe who received an award on behalf of his late father, Nnamdi Azikiwe, among others.
