The presidency has described the call for restructuring Nigeria by opposition of the government, especially those who were once in power, as suspicious.
President Buhari's spokesperson, Femi Adesina, stated this on Friday, October 13, during the Change We Need Nigeria Initiative 8th Annual Lecture Series with the theme: Disintegration or Restructuring: Which Way Nigeria?
Adesina also said that the Buhari’s administration is not opposed to restructuring but is opposed to anything that will break the country.
The Sun reports that Adesina said that Nigeria has always restructured but has never led to the country falling apart.
Adesina said: “In the history of Nigeria there was a time where the various people and communities lived in this space that is today called Nigeria. And then the colonial masters came, formed what is called the northern protectorate, southern protectorate, that was restructuring of what has subsisted.
"And then in 1914 precisely, the northern and southern protectorates, were amalgamated into one country, that was another restructuring. Did it come with any saber-rattling or did it send the country into tailspin, no? And then we we got to a point that we had regionalism in the country, the regions were formed and we begin to grow, that was another restructuring, it happened almost naturally and each region began to work on its own pace.
“We will get to where we are going on restructuring and Nigeria remains one united indivisible entity. That is my thought. And from the first paper I have heard I know this issue will be dissected properly today and at the end we will come up with something that is pragmatic, something that is not emotive, something that is not knee jack, something that can take this issue and clamour for restructuring forward.”
While reacting to Adesina's speech, Abia state Governor, Okezie Ikpeazu, who was represented by his Chief Press Secretary, Godwin Adindu, disagreed that restructuring was an opposition thing.
He said: “Restructuring is not an opposition thing, it is what we all need so that we can move the nation forward. Restructuring is not the demand of the opposition.”
Also, the Afenifere spokesman, Yinka Odumakin, disagreed with Adesina's submission that restructuring was an opposition thing. He insisted that Nigeria’s unity is negotiable warning that those kicking against it risk disintegration.
Odumakin said: “The unity of Nigeria can be negotiated. It is fallacy to say it can’t be negotiated. By restructuring we are saying Nigeria should move from money sharing economy to a productive economy. If we refuse to take this national course, I’m sorry to say time is running out of Nigeria."
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