Stakeholders in the country have reiterated the call for regional system of government where each region will develop at its own pace rather than depending on the federal government.
The call was made in Ibadan at the House of Chiefs, Parliament Building, Secretariat, venue of the launch of three books authored by Dr. Victor Taiwo on Thursday.
The titles of the books are, Nigeria on Gunpowder: The Climax of Misrule, Treatise of Peace in a Multi-Religious States and African Time: Black Man’s Tragedy.
In his address, Dr. Taiwo disclosed that the only solution to the present predicament facing the country is the restructuring back to regionalism or true federalism.
He stated that the collapse of all institutions of governance has contributed to the increase in the rate of hunger, poverty, unemployment and insecurity in the country.
“Today Nigeria is at the cross-road where nothing goes well with the country. Today all institutions of governance have collapsed with no clue to their resuscitation. And the raging and reigning effects are the absolute hunger in the land, hopeless insecurity and capital flight from the country.”
Dr. Taiwo appealed that the country be rebirthed to a regional system where there were competitions to greatness among the regions under Obafemi Awolowo for the West, Nnamdi Azikiwe for the East and Ahmadu Bello for the west.
“Under this regime of regionalism, Nigeria was just at its best. However, here came the launch into perdition when military came in 1966 with their unification agenda and unitary system of government where the urge for the competitive sprints among the regions was summarily clogged by the hindsight of the proponents and executors which gave way to the fixation of the regions and later states on the Federal Government rather than the regions feeding the Federal Government.”
He said he was inspired to venture into writing books to be his contribution to the nationalist project, saying that the mission has nothing to do with seeking any political ambition.
Reacting to the calling for Yoruba nation by some agitators, Dr. Taiwo maintained that calling for restructuring back to regionalism is a matter of intellectualism. He added that the country is not on course and the only means to make things work is a matter of engaging the leaders intelligently not by brawl.
The Chairman of the occasion, Hon. Justice Mojeed Owoade (rtd), in his remarks, stated that a call for restructuring for the regional government is not a call for a separate nation within Nigeria.
He noted that there is imbalance in the structure of the country, hence the call for all hands to be on deck to restructure at once, where regions will constitute the federal government and true federalism.
“Like the former Secretary General, Emeka Anyaoku said, if you don’t restructure now, then you might not have it forever. It is now that we should restructure because everybody is complaining of being marginalized, apparently because the federal government is taking too much and therefore, there is no true federalism. Let us restructure now and have true federalism,” Justice Owoade said.
Packaged by Adekunle Adegboyega
