Governor of Sokoto State, Rt. Honourable Aminu Waziri
Tambuwal has said that the North is not against restructuring but stressed that
restructuring must first and foremost be understood in very clear terms before
a concrete decision could be made either for or against it.
He
expressed this at a two-day conference holding in Kaduna with the theme “The
North and the future of the Nigerian Federation” organised by the Arewa
Research and Development Project (ARDP).
Governor
Tambuwal who was the Chairman of the occasion said, the idea that the North is
against restructuring because it benefits most from the current state of things
is circumscribed and patently false.
He
stressed that the fact that some people continue to parrot such a lie only help
to give credence to the flawed argument.
“Let
us be clear: the North wants restructuring as much as anyone else. However, as
a people we do not easily jump unto the bandwagon because we are always there
for the long haul. We believe that any decision we take must be inclusive, and
respect procedures and processes so that the outcome is sustainable.
“I
think we should first, as a country, agree on a mutual definition of the term
restructuring. In my view, if restructuring means taking stock of our
arrangement to ensure that no state takes a disproportionate amount of the
resources, or most of the available space in the education or job sector, or
subjugate the others’ culture or religion, or lords it over the other so that
the number of the poor and uneducated whose future is circumscribed by their
circumstance is shared proportionately, then we are game.
“We
all want a country where there is peace and progress, where justice is a given,
where all lives are safe and people can pursue their legitimate livelihoods
wherever they choose. I believe each state in this country has areas of
comparative advantage and life is a cycle so that what was once the largest
revenue earner can in time become less so while something else takes
ascendancy”.
Towards
this end, he said as a country, we must look to the future and agree on what in
the long run will benefit us all. “I must give kudos to the organisers for
choosing such an appropriate theme for this conference, The North and the
future of the Nigerian federation” he stressed.
He
further expressed gladness that the organisers have noted the critical role
that education must play in any part that the North eventually chooses to take,
adding that the truth is that the modern world is one that puts premium on
human capital rather than natural resources. “The development of that capital
therefore must take precedence over anything else we want to do as a people” he
said.
“I
want to assure participants that the outcome of this conference will form a
critical part of the aggregate views of Northern States on restructuring and
will be useful to our current effort at ensuring that we do a thorough job
on behalf of our people.
“I
therefore call on everyone who has any view on the matter or any suggestion
that will make this great country move forward and strengthen our unity to come
forward and express those views” he emphasised.
Culled from leadership.ng
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