A former member of the defunct National Political Reform Conference and Pioneer President of the Traditional Rulers of Oil Mineral Producing Communities of Nigeria (TROMPCON), Sir Chukumela Nnam-Obi II, says it has become imperative for the Nigerian federation to be restructured for the sake of justice, equity and fairness to engender national growth and development.
In a statement in Port Harcourt yesterday, the two­ time Chairman of Rivers State Council of Traditional Rulers recalled how the reorganisations of 1967, 1976 and 1996 as well as the excision of the Midwest from the Western region in 1963 underscored the volatility of the internal territorial configuration of the Nigerian federation since the country’s independence in 1960.
He stated that of greater concern are the distributive pressures, sectional anxieties, partisan conflicts, constitutional controversies and institutional dilemma that are interwoven with the issue of’ state reorganisation in the country.
Dr Nnam-Obi II noted that though there are feelings of disenchantment among all tribes and ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, the “case of the mindless marginalization of the minority groups is worse”.
Listing the enormous contributions of the Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) to the national economy, the monarch who is also the Oba (Eze Ogba) of Ogbaland regretted that the area has had only one ministerial appointment, two ambassadorial slots, no special adviser, no permanent secretary in the Federal Public Service, no Chairmanship of any Federal Government parastatal, no high ranking officer in the military, among others since the inception of the country.
Continued he: “We are not found even in the middle level employment of federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAS) just as we are denied jobs and facilities in financial institutions. Our people are slowly but steadily being suffocated out of meaningful existence”.
He said being the highest producer of crude oil and gas in Nigeria, ONELGA  deserves a better treatment for sustaining the Nigerian nation and by extension every state and local government area in the country.
The Eze Ogba maintained that the panacea to the developmental challenges and the dilemma of injustice, sectional interest or regionalism, and other perversions on the part of the political class lies in making fundamental social, economic and institutional changes affecting the policies, practices, and the overall management of the federation.
These, according to him, include proper decentralisation and strengthening of democracy through the practice of true federalism, participatory democracy, community empowerment and     participation in the exploration, exploitation    and management of their natural resources and private sector involvement in national development.
He assured that the Niger Delta will continue to play key roles in the growth and development of the Nigerian nation in so far as there are concerted efforts to improve the environmental and living conditions of the region.
Meanwhile,the Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has thrown his weight behind those calling for the restructuring of the country.
He said that the present situation called for every Nigerian to take the opportunity offered to restructure and redesign Nigeria.
“We should come out with a new master plan that will address the social, economic and political crises that gave birth to some of these agitations.
“We should also use the opportunity to reach out, to strengthen our unity and form a coalition against separatists, who come from the South-East and ultra-nationalist and anarchist who come from northern part of Nigeria.
“This is the time for each and every Nigerian to take position. Nigeria will not and should not be Soviet Union; Nigeria will not be and must not be Yugoslavia, Nigerian should and must not be Sudan.
“There are issues we need to address. this is an opportunity for us to restructure and redesign our country,” Sani said.
Sani, who spoke to newsmen in Kaduna, added, “the moral calling of all men of conscience is to champion the cause of unity and peace. And for people like me, this is my area of calling. Biafran agitators are persons who have forgotten the lessons of history, the country is bigger than individuals, we are one and we should remain one.
“The Igbo ethnic groups have since been able to build themselves economically, and present themselves as Nigerians. Igbos can clearly be found in all the nooks and crannies of this country, and I believe we should be able to separate the few, who want secession from millions, who live among us as Nigerians.
“Any southerner in the North is in the North because he believes in one Nigeria, if he does not believe in one Nigeria, he could have gone back to South-East. We should look at it this way, it is great that we are called giant of Africa because of our size, our population and because of the promise we hold for West Africa and the black race. Secession is not an option, those who want to divide this country should be condemned in totality, and I can understand the anger by some of our people in northern part of Nigeria, but we should not play to the gallery.
“The secessionists should not determine our collective decision or distract what our response should be. If they are for secession, we are for unity. We must protect Igbos that are living in the northern part of Nigeria because they are here to live with us; they are here because they believe in one Nigeria. But Nnamdi Kanu and his Biafran forces are doomed to fail because Nigeria will remain one.
“This is a time to challenge them, combat and nip them in the bud. It is the time in history of this country that we must speak out. I will also say a nation united by force is vulnerable, a nation united by justice is inseparable, that must be our goal.”
Speaking on the need for unity in Kaduna State, Sani explained, “I am opposed to the dropping of these 4,766 district heads, for the very fact that they are very strong instruments of peace and unity. I call on the governor to reverse his decision. There is enough money to pay them.
“In a situation whereby we have a government in Kaduna State that is issuing out contracts to advisers, members of the state House of Assembly and the people in the position of authority, which is contrary to ethics of civil service, in that sense, you know that it is very disgusting to accuse the Peoples Democratic Party, the Ramalan Yero, Makarfi, late Yakowa’s governments of corruption in Kaduna State.
“In Kaduna State, you have public office holders who submit companies to be awarded contracts. We should understand that it is not just about N3billion contract scam, but there are ethics issues concerned, a civil servant is not allowed to be a contractor.
“It is an act of nepotism to send your son, your wife, to do contract directly under your office, it is against the code of conduct, code of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for an elected public office holder to engage in contract, that is very wrong.
“The only persons who are immune to face investigation is the governor and deputy governor of all this persons involved. The governor of the state should follow it up and set up investigation panel to fish out the bad eggs within his government and deal with them.
“If Buhari can drop Babachir as Secretary to the Government of the Federation for giving his own company contracts, Governor Nasir el-Rufai should toe the line by sacking his aides that have exploited their positions in office, and have turned themselves into contractors,” he added.

Victor Tew