Again, Afenifere throws support for restructuring

The Pan Yoruba socio political group, Afenifere, has again reiterated its call for the need to restructure the country in order for each region to develop its own resources.

Rising from an emergency meeting in Akure, Afenifere said there was need for the Federal Government to listen to the agitations of restructuring of the country.

Yinka Odunmakin, Publicity Secretary of Afenifere who read a communique after the meeting said the problem bedeviling the country could be resolved if it is restructured.

Mr. Odunmakin stated that the group decided to throw its weight behind the restructuring of the country because it was convinced that each of the region will have equal opportunity to develop and taking advantage of another region.

“We are convinced that restructuring Nigeria back to the federal structure as obtained at independence is an idea whose time has come and the Federal Government must do the needful to ensure that it actualise it.

“So, we want to say that our reason for calling for restructuring is that we want a society where no section of the country would hold any advantage over another section.

“Rather every section of the country will have equal opportunity to use their resources which we know that are abundant in Nigeria to develop at their own pace and develop their people and toe the develop paradigm as obtained in Nigeria before the 1966 coup.

“This is what restructuring and true federalism is all about and therefore, we must pursue this and nobody should be talking about the advantages over another section of the country,” he said.

The group, however, commended the South West government and all organisations in the region for their unanimous display in endorsing a common position on the restructuring summit held in Ibadan.

Afenifere also condemned the Nigerian Military exercise in the South East code named ‘”Operation Python Dance” noting that its recent announcement that it will be replicated in the South West would be resisted by the people.

It asked the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari to be well guided by history hence the people of the country will see his government as run under a military regime.

“The operation ostensibly they said is to confront the badoo menace. We stated as follows, the badoo gang has been decimated by the Nigeria Police and the OPC in the area where it occurred.

“We think if the group resurge, it is the duty of the police to deal with it without causing tension, invasion and harassment as it happened in the South East during Operation Python Dance.

“We insist that the military has no duty in going after badoo even if it comes back, we want the Federal Government to be careful at the spate at which they deploy solders all over the country,” the group said.