Atiku in Asaba, says there’s no alternative to restructuring Nigeria now
Not up 48 hours after President Muhammadu Buhari had told a group of traditional rulers at Aso Rock Villa that thinking of restructuring Nigeria is parochial and self serving, former Vice-President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has countered him, saying there is no alternative to restructuring if Nigeria must make progress.
Addressing a mammoth crowd in Asaba, the Delta State capital, he made clear that he remained resolute in supporting restructuring of the country, saying there was “too much power in the hands of the Federal Government, a situation he said had made governance in the country less competitive particularly among the states”.
Business Hilights recalls that President Buhari had on Monday this week, told a delegation of Urhobo Traditional Rulers and Urhobo Progress Union, who visited him in Abuja, that the calls for the restructuring of the country was parochial and laced with self-interests, hence discussions and arguments on the matter failed to capture his attention.
But Atiku disagreed with Buhari on the ground that the country must be restructured for Nigeria to rapidly move forward and unlock the potentials of every state and region in a changing world of economic and political development.
Explaining more during his consultative visit to Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state on his presidential ambition ahead of the 2019 general elections, Atiku averred that he had been in the forefront of the calls for the restructuring of the country since 2004 while still serving as VP because restructuring would bring out the best among the federating units and lead to economic development across the board.
it would be recalled that Atiku, while on a similar visit to the Governor of Bayelsa State, Barr Henry Seriake Dickson expressed the same feeling on restructuring and even went ahead to present before Governor Dickson, a book he wrote on Restructuring Nigeria in 2004.
