Lately, the call for the country’s re-structuring is unbridled.
The clamour for it rents the air as if without it , the country shall go
asunder. The issue is over-dramatised to the point of nausea, and to such
degree that every Tom , Dick and Harry is climbing on the bandwagon of the
agitation for re-structuring whether or not they understand re-structuring, its
processes and implications.
If it is
examined critically, it shall be discovered that the agitation for
re-structuring is from disgruntled elements; those whose political horizon is
bleak and their influence, not to mention affluence, is progressively ebbing.
For an example, if a person like Atiku Abubakar, with 954 votes compared with
Muhammadu Buhari’s score of 3,430 votes in the 2015 APC primary election, was
successful to be the sitting President today, would he be calling for
re-structuring? Definitely not. Therefore, the callers for re-structuring are
not sincere.
None of the
callers for re-structuring except Chief Emeka Anyaoku who once suggested that
the country should be collapsed to six geo-political zones has explained what
they really want. This is physical re-structure and not power re-structure. In
my piece on March 2, 2016, titled “Of Buhari’s Critics, Counsellors”. I opposed
this, because I doubted if any of the existing states could be prepared to
surrender its hard-earned autonomy.
In the past 53 years, states were created.
In 1960, there were three regions – West, East and North ; in 1963 , Midwest
was created ; in 1967 , it increased to 12 states ; 1976 produced 19 states
;1987 witnessed 21 states ; in 1991 , it increased to 30 states ;1996 ,36
states ,with the Federal Capital Territory of Abuja , meaning that seven times
, the country was re- structured . Therefore, if someone suggests the collapse
of 36 states to six, it is to put back the hand of the clock. The reasons for
the creations were to enhance holistic competitions and bring governance to the
door of the people. A collapse has the opposite effect of suppressing
competition and governance.
