Ohaneze, Afenifere blast el-Rufai over comment on restructuring

.Kaduna gov, a disappointment; if he doesn’t know what to say, he should just keep quiet –Ohaneze Ndigbo

.He was an opportunist and irresponsible when he asked for restructuring in 2010, says-Afenifere

.’No serious minded Nigerian should take el-Rufai serious, he’s enemy of Nigeria’s unity’

Lateef Ibrahim Abuja, Patrick Okohue and Ibe Uwaleke, Lagos

The pan Igbo social cultural organisation, Ohaneze Ndigbo, and its Yoruba counterpart, Afenifere on Thursday evening rose in anger to condemn the statement by the Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai who while speaking on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily programme earlier in the day described the various calls for the restructuring of Nigeria as political opportunism and irresponsibility.

Reacting to the statement of behalf of his organisation, President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, said he was disappointed by the governor’s statement, noting that el-Rufai was one person for who he had respect for his intellectual capacity, saying that if he doesn’t know what to say, he (el-Rufai) should just keep quiet.

Nwodo said: “I am truly disappointed at the man. He is a man I had very high respect for his intellectual capacity, to be involved in such debate at this time, why should anybody be asking for restructuring in order to get appointment in the government, what does that mean

“I have said goodbye to government and I didn’t forget anything in government and I have served out my fair contribution. He has avoided the argument, our governmental structure is a pity. This is the only country in the world that is called a federation that does not have respect for the definition of a federation.

“The federating units are not independent, they don’t control their resources. Are we a conquered territory? Why on earth will the Federal Government be responsible for the majority of our resources, why should a state not be responsible for the resources in the state?

According to him, the present situation in the country was completely different in the First Republic and there was progress, adding that no matter el-Rufai’s age, he expected him to have read about it so he can speak with understanding.

“In the First Republic, every region had control of its resources and they contributed something to the centre and each region developed at its pace and there was healthy competition and they were all doing well.

“The groundnut pyramid built the Ahmadu Bello University, the textile mills; they gave subvention to young Northerners in schools. The cocoa in Ibadan fired education, they had the first free education at all levels in Nigeria and built the first stadium in West Africa and the first television station. They built the University of Ife, they built the University of Ibadan. In the East, we had palm oil and it catalyzed development, there was development all over.

“No matter his age, el-Rufai should have read about this. Why is he dodging the issue? Obviously, I think the insult on those who want restructuring is regrettable. I expected much more from him,” Nwodo said.

He however added that el-Rufai may not actually be directing his statement at the generality of those asking for restructuring, but may be using his statement to settle political scores within his party.

“Obviously, he is settling scores with some of his northern party men and those who the insult is directed at knows what they are fighting for. I don’t know if there is vacancy for presidency. If there is one, maybe they can tell us,” he said.

Also speaking on behalf of his group, the National Publicity Secretary of Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin, berated the governor, saying that even he must have been an opportunist and an irresponsible citizen when he was at the forefront of the demand for restructuring in 2010.

He said: “He must be an opportunist and an irresponsible citizen when he asked for restructuring in 2010 and I think people who occupy responsible positions should weigh their words before they talk like area boys in public.

“Restructuring is an idea whose time has come. Every responsible person in Nigeria today, every well-meaning citizen is calling for the restructuring of Nigeria, because Nigeria is not working and it is only the few who are benefiting from the system that are opposed to restructuring,” Odumakin said.

Also reacting, the President, Otu Oka-Iwu (Lawyers of Igbo extraction), Chief Chuks Ikokwu, a Lagos-based lawyer, said the Kaduna State governor is by his comment fanning the embers of war.

He said that el-Rufai is only ridiculing himself and placing himself above other senior citizens from the North like former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd) who have seen enough reason to support the call for the restructuring of Nigeria.

His words: “If Nasir el-Rufai is saying that the call for the restructuring of Nigeria is irresponsible, is he suggesting a break-up of the country? That is not a good comment that should be coming from a governor like him at this critical time all regions are agitating for freedom from maginalisation, oppression and all forms denial and victimisation. No serious Nigerian should take el-Rufai serious because he has shown he is a clear enemy of the unity of Nigeria.”

el-Rufai had while speaking on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily programme on Thursday described the various calls for the restructuring of Nigeria as political opportunism and irresponsibility.

The governor and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, declared that President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration has done far more in practical terms than past administrations and that many of those calling for restructuring rather see it as a means of opportunism.

He stated that some of the practical steps taken towards restructuring included the fact that state governors are now more than ever, involved in economic policy making at the national level.

According to him, things that have always been hidden from state governments are now much more open as they are now more involved in investigations of finances of the Excess Crude Account, among other things.

His words: “We meet every month under the auspices of the National Economic Council and working together with the Federal Government, we chart directions of economic policy and that is part of shifting the federal- state balance.

“A lot of the talk about political restructuring is political opportunism and irresponsibility in my opinion.

“It is popular and people that have presidential aspirations think there is a platform upon which they will exploit this. As I said, if you look at the APC manifesto, all the elements to divulge power to the states to change the balance in the federation are there and we are committed to that as a party.

“The National Chairman of our party will restate that commitment and we are discussing it and as I said, President Buhari and Osinbajo’s government has taken very concrete steps rather than rhetoric to actually move in that direction and we are going to move in that direction but we do not believe that the basis for it is rhetoric and opportunism. We do not believe that the 2014 Confab report is a sensible basis to even begin.

“We all know the circumstances in which the so-called Confab was put together. We all know the composition, how lopsided it was, how important stakeholders were not taken to account, how even the composition and numbers did not reflect the demographics and the diversity of this country and we took a position as a party not to participate but to encourage our state governors to be there at the table”.