Restructuring: Nigeria in terminal crisis, says Afenifere

It, however, added that the situation could be remedied through the restructuring of the country.

The group also called on the Federal Government to amend the country’s constitution with a view to devolving powers among the centre, states and local governments ‘before it is too late’.

Failure to restructure Nigeria, it said, would increase the demands for self-determination among ethnic nationalities.

Afenifere’s position was contained in a communiqué entitled, “Restructure Now,” issued by its spokesperson, Yinka Odumakin, after the meeting of its national caucus held in Akure.

It said, “We state without equivocation that Nigeria has entered a terminal crisis and clearly withering away and can only manage to be pulled back from the brink if we commence the process of restructuring or restoring the country to its independence constitutional status before the coup of January 1966.

“Failure to do this will make the demands for self-determination to become more strident. We call on the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government to rise to the avowed commitment in its manifesto by initiating an action to amend our constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties and responsibilities to states and local governments in order to entrench true federalism before it is too late.”

The meeting also expressed worry about the state of the economy which had seen many states being unable to pay salaries to their workers for several months.

Afenifere said it was also disturbed by the revelation by the Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, that 28 out of the 36 states of the country were under one military operation or the other, signalling a general state of insecurity.

It said, “We are alarmed by the increasing spate of the impunity of Fulani herdsmen in the southern and Middle Belt communities of Nigeria. Of late, we have witnessed the shooting of policemen who went to protect Chief Olu Falae’s farm and the killing of his neighbour-farmer; the chasing of students out of schools in Delta, Edo and Anambra states by cows, the storming of Taraba State House of Assembly by armed Fulani herdsmen to stop lawmakers from carrying out their legislative duties because they were debating an anti-open grazing bill, without any response from the Federal Government.

“We have however seen the swiftness with which the Federal Government mobilised all its strength to defend Fulani herdsmen who came under attack in Taraba State.”