BEVERLY HILLS, October 06, (THEWILL) – The Southern, Middle Belt Leaders Forum has handed a stern warning to President Muhammadu Buhari over the spate of military operations going on across the country, demanding end to the deployment of soldiers to quell civil agitations which are within the remit of the police.
The forum, which observed that Nigeria is not a proper federation as the structure is over-centralised, unjust and anti-development, said the country should be grateful to those clamouring for restructuring of the country to restore the federal principles enshrined in the 1960 and 1963 constitutions.
Rising from an extensive consultative session in Abuja on Thursday, the forum particularly condemned the recent Operation Python Dance, a show of force carried out by the military, in the South-East, stating that the government must employ dialogue above raw force.
While calling on the Federal Government to stop the deployment of troops in the South-West and South-South, it stated that under federalism, the Federal Government should not deploy troops in the federating units without the invitation.
In a communique read out to newsmen by Professor John Dara, the Forum went on to challenge Buhari to urgently initiate processes to actualise the restructuring of Nigeria through the National Assembly.
Regretting that the National Assembly did not maximise its last constitutional amendments exercise by voting down devolution of powers and functions to the federating units, it appealed to the National Assembly to urgently revisit its decisions on restructuring in a manner that could usher in a new fiscal formula for Nigeria as against the current over dependence on oil and gas revenue
The forum said: “We call on the Federal Government to always exercise restraint in the deployment of troops in quelling civil agitations, which is the responsibility of the police in any democracy. Consequently, we call on the Federal Government to reconsider similar operations that the Army is embarking on in the South West and South South zones, which are peaceful areas.
“We do not need these exercises, which are seen largely as sheer intimidation and barring of fangs. Under federalism, you do not deploy troops to the federating units without the invitation of the affected local authorities. The Federal Government must also employ dialogue above raw force in engaging dissension.”
While passing a vote of confidence on the clamour for restructuring, the southern, middle-belt leaders said: “We remain convinced that as a multi-ethnic country, Nigeria can only enjoy lasting peace, development progress and happiness under a federal system, which allows all the federating units to develop at their own pace under full cultural expression.
“We, therefore, restate our commitment to the Federal Republic of Nigeria as one entity under God.
“However, we firmly believe that Nigeria as it is, is not a proper federation, as the structure is over-centralised, unjust and anti-development and therefore unacceptable. There is no gainsaying the fact that this is at the core of the many agitations across the country with some delving into separatist feelings.
“Nigeria must, therefore, be grateful to those of us speaking in demand of restructuring of the federation for the restoration of the federal principles enshrined in the 1960 and 1963 constitutions as a middle course between those who want to sustain the present unjust structure that is driving Nigeria into the edge and consequently attracting agitations for break up and those who are calling for break up of Nigeria.
“Forum noted that the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari in his independence anniversary broadcast made some good shift by admitting to the legitimacy of the demand for the restructuring of Nigeria.
“We call on him to move a step forward by initiating processes that should lead Nigeria towards confronting its structural challenges through the legal instruments of the National Assembly and the representatives of ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.”
“We believe tension would have gone down considerably across the country if the National Assembly had decided to vote for reform.
“We call on the National Assembly, to as a matter of urgency, revisit its decisions as promised by the senate president and the Speaker of the House of Representative and resolve the matter in a way that we can have a new fiscal formula that will move Nigeria away from the current overdependence on oil and gas revenue to a diversified economy where all section of Nigeria are encouraged to develop their abundant natural and human resources for regional and national development with all constitutional impediments removed.”
The forum stated that Thursday’s meeting is in furtherance of the successful meeting of the leaders from the South and Meddle Belt of Nigeria held on July 15, 2017 to lay out an orderly process of finding viable solutions to the rising agitations for a fair, just, equitable and balanced restructuring of our federal system.
It added that the delegates were drawn from the South West, South East, South South and from the Middle Belt States comprising, Plateau, Benue, Niger, Nasarawa, Kogi, Kwara, Taraba, Adamawa, Southern Kebbi, Southern Kaduna, Gombe, Bauchi, Southern Borno and FCT.
Those who attended the meeting include: elder statesmen like Prof. Jerry Gana, Senator Banabas Gemade, Ayo Adebanjo, Olu Falae, Dan Suleiman, Edwin Clark, Mrs. Stella Omu, Idris Wada, Senator Tunde Ogbeha, Prof. Ihechukwu Madubuike, Ferdinand Agu, Chief Chigozie Ogbu among others.
