Pan-Yoruba social political group, Afenifere, says President Bola Tinubu has no excuse not to restructure Nigeria since he was elected on the platform and ideology of the group.
Afenifere also declared that its blueprint for restructuring Nigeria is ready, hinging its restructuring blueprint on the adoption of a parliamentary system of government for Nigeria.
Afenifere Publicity Secretary, Mogaji Gboyega Adejumo, disclosed this while addressing newsmen at the end of the caucus meeting of the group held at Isanya Ogbo Ijebu, Ogun State residence of a factional leader of Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo.
The meeting which was presided over by Adebanjo, was also attended by the Deputy leader of the group, Oba Oladipo Olaitan; Treasurer, Chief Supo Sonibare; former deputy governor of Lagos State, Chief Mrs Kofoworola Bucknor; Deputy National Publicity Secretary, Prince Justice Faloye;
Chief Segun Ojo and Bashorun Segun Sanni, among others.
Afenifere, one of the leading voices on agitation for restructuring Nigeria, had set up a committee to aggregate views of stakeholders on the demand.
The panel submitted its report at a caucus meeting of the Afenifere held on Tuesday.
Adejumo said Afenifere had developed its blueprint on restructuring the country, urging the Tinubu-led administration to adopt the blueprint.
Afenifere said before his election, Tinubu was at the vanguard of the call for the restructuring of the country; he must therefore not betray Nigerians.
The group described Tinubu as a beneficiary of the call for restructuring within this democratic dispensation.
Afenifere said, “Sometimes last year November, a committee under the leadership of Oba Oladipo Olaitan was set up to aggregate Afenifere’s view on restructuring and today (Tuesday), the committee said that the report is ready.
“However, this report will still be considered by the executives of the association after which it will be taken to the general assembly where all the members will get to know what we stand on restructuring as Afenifere and we shall then print the report, do our various publicity on it for people to be enlightened on what we believe on restructuring.
“Tinubu himself is a product of Afenifere, he was elected on the platform and ideology of Afenifere. He took the federal government to court under the leadership of former President Obasanjo for 31 times in an effort to implement restructuring.
“He didn’t do anything when former President Buhari was there for eight years, probably he was bidding his time because he knew that northerners won’t implement restructuring because they thought it won’t favour them.
“But Tinubu is there now as the President, he is answerable to us all as a product of Afenifere and as what the whole Yoruba did under the Afenifere in Adamasingba, Ibadan, Oyo State in 2017 that what we want is nothing but restructuring.
“For this 2017 meeting, we invited the South South, South East and the Middle Belt and this is the beginning of what we called Southern and Middlebelt Leaders Forum.
“So we are still meeting at this forum when other zones will also submit their recommendations. So what we took to 2014 Confab is what we are submitting even though some things have changed. We will then take it before the National Assembly for their approval.”
Asked to give a hint on the Afenifere’s report, Adejumo said, “What we are actually proposing is a parliamentary system of government. Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo didn’t have to campaign in Ijebu Igbo, all he had to do was to win in Ikenne to become a member of the House and whoever is the leader of the party becomes the Prime Minister or the Premier.
“The old Western Region was from Badagry in Lagos to Asaba in present day Delta State but he never had to be campaigning everywhere as we do now. It makes governance so cheap, nobody will have to spend billions on campaigns again. You will need as much as N100m to campaign for local government chairmanship elections.
“So, until under this system you will from your constituency come into the House of Assembly and from here you will choose your Ministers and your Commissioners, you are not going to be appointing anyone again from outside but those that have been elected into the House House of Assembly.
“With this system of government, we are going to be spending one tenth of the humongous resources we are using to run this presidential system of government.”