….Challenges ‘owners of Nigeria’ to wake up and do the needful
…Wants United Region of Nigeria like UAE
By Tunde Abatan
Fifteen years after he hosted the Pro National Conference Organisation, PRONACO led by the late elder statesman,Anthony Enahoro, inside the bowels of his Grandview Plaza,Asiwaju Bisi Adegbuyi,a lawyer by training and qualification but a real estate business man and technocrat is up once again.
After serving as the Post Master General for over three years under this dispensation, he is more convinced of the need to lead crusade that will reshape Nigeria to enable her reach her goal.
2023:Tinubu, Atiku, Obi alone cannot solve Nigerias problem – Adegbuyi ..calls for formation of a govt beyond partisan consideration
Towards this end,he is kick-starting another round of advocacy aimed at finding getting visionary statesmen and stakeholders to accept the need to change the Nigerian system which is at the root of her stultified growth.
As for him,the reluctance of the various governments since the return to civilian rule in 1999 to take the bull by the horns and adopt a home grown political solution to the nations deepening political, ethno-religious crisis is responsible for current state of instability which has affected the economy and all fields of human endeavour stultifying growth and development.
Having taken a cursory look at the state of the nation and the preparations towards the 2023 general elections,Adegbuyi is not impressed that the nation is not getting it right even after several national conferences one of which he was a partaker in 2014- the former President Goodkuck initiative which white paper never saw the light of the day.
On the next general elections,he is of the view that while he beliefs Asiwaju Bola Tinubu remains the best among the pack of himself,Abubakar Atiku and Peter Obi,yet none of them can alone solve the myriad of problems confronting the nation if they get elected into office.
Said he,”the problem with our set- up is that politicians discuss elections but statesmen discuss future of the nation”.
To achieve this, Adegbuyi canvassed the need for statesmen who will rise above petty sentiments and partisanship to come together and proffer solutions to the serious mismanagement of the nations adversity over the last seven years.
Speaking on who are the statesmen who can come together to salvage the nation he declared, “the statesmen are the owners of Nigeria and they are still very much alive. Let them come together, rise above personal interests and take steps to reinvent the country “.
But who are this owners of Nigeria?
His answer: “the owners of Nigeria are all former heads of states, Presidents and influential citizens including notable retired generals who have participated in making of Nigeria what it is today. Let them come up with practical solutions to lift the country up “.
But what are his own solutions having participated at least in two conferences and being a former Post Master General of the country?
As for him, a hybrid of the United States presidential system and French system is ideal after the collation of the reports of all the conferences from General Sani Abachas 1994 conference, the late Chief Anthony Enahoros Pronacos conference of 2007, Olusegun Obasanjos 2006 and Goodluck Jonathan’s 2014 conference reports.
All this documents, he opined could be transformed into a Confederal Constitution which he believes is more suitable now to re-enact the nations glorious era as evidenced in the goals and gains of the earlier Parliamentary system adopted by the founding fathers in the First republic
However,in order to achieve necessary development and progress for the country, he firmly believes that the incoming President after next year’s election,must embrace and midwife fundamental political reforms as stated above to solve the serious mismanagement of the nations diversity of the past seven years .
On President Muhammadu Buharis refusal to hold a national conference he declared, “expecting President Muhammadu Buhari to do anything is a wishful thinking because the man stated after attaining power that he wouldn’t touch the 2014 National Conference report”.
Let us allow him to conduct election while we sort ourselves out after his departure”.
To those in the vanguard of the clamour for Restructuring he declared,
“The time is ripe to put some issues in the proper perspective and it is also about time we should begin to change the strategy with regard to attaining the restructuring as those opposed to it has to be engaged.
If we believe that over 250 ethnic groups are struggling for the soul of Nigeria,those who believe Restructuring will lead to disintegration has to be convinced”.
To convince the opponents, Adegbuyi believes,” advocates have to change their strategy through adoption of appropriate communications channels to carry opponents along “.
Except the system of running the country is tampered with,Adegbuyi is of the conviction that the nation will be moving in circles since the prevailing system is faulty adding,”even an angel cannot do anything positive with the 1999 constitution now in use. Except we change it through consensus building and dialogue,nothing concrete can be achieved by any in coming government”.
The former Post Master General also has a word for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who he said should have behaved as a statesman and not offer himself as a Northerner to contest after the eight years tenure of Buhari.
“If he had done that and work towards PDP picking a candidate from the South East,he would have etched his name in history as a statesman who values the survival of his country more than his personal ambition.”
As things stand today,Adegbuyi is of the conviction that with Presidential candidate coming from the three major ethnic divisions in the country, it is obvious that returning Nigeria to a six zone political structure is more desirable and should lead to what he described as United Regions of Nigeria patterned after the United Arab Emirates example which he said, has led to the development of the Middle east country.
But above all, he believes that the greatest legacy any one of the three leading gladiators who eventually gets the People’s mandate “is to take practical steps to evolve a Reset of Nigeria” saying,”whoever have the courage to do that,would have written his name in Gold”.
