The founder of Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), Dr Frederick Fasehun, on Thursday said the call for restructuring is the only way out of Nigeria’s development quagmire.
Fasehun stated this on Thursday while speaking with newsmen on the sidelines of a youth conference tagged, “OPC Youth Conference for 2019.”
Fasehun said restructuring was the only option to solve the current political structure of Nigeria which he described as faulty and unable to guarantee sustainable development.
He noted that the country must choose between the two options of implementing restructuring or forgeting about development.
“When states and regions were allowed to control their own resources to develop their respective areas and people then the country is ready for development.
“We must restructure Nigeria to get out of this mess. It is either we implement it or remain where we are.
“Why can’t states or regions explore what and what are in their backyards, sell or export and pay tax to the centre? Why can’t we have that?
“The constitution should give me an opportunity to explore what is in my backyard. And why should I sell what is in my backyard and share the profit with others ? That shouldn’t be the case.
“We must restructure the country now for development. If we don’t restructure, we should forget about progress,” he said.
Fasehun also lamented about the economic and security issues in the country in the last three years.
Citing death of missing Army general as a security threat, He said the present government had not delivered the promised change to the people.
“As of today, many are the challenges facing the nation, where do we begin? Is it electricity? Is it water? Is it security, education? Name them, we lack them all.
“There is hunger in the land and there is anger. What is more, we all go to bed every night in fear, not knowing what our lives will be the next minute.
“ Let me even be more precise, the news is still fresh on our minds how a few months ago, an Army General was declared missing, only for his body to be found just a few weeks ago in a pond, dead.
“If a General can go missing only to be found after a few weeks, how much more so the average Nigerians who are not trained to defend and protect themselves?
“That incident is indeed a dreadful reminder of how unsafe we all are in the society
“We are going to mobilise as many people as we can across the country, including those in the Diaspora, in order to ensure that we entrust power into the hands of the People’s mandate come 2019,’’ he added.
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