President Muhammadu Buhari, has said that those calling for the separation of Nigeria are only doing so to destabilise his government, adding that, “there is no government in the world that will cede their authority to the people that are not elected”.
The President who stated this in Zaria, Kaduna State, on Saturday, stated that those agitating for the separation of the country are ignorant of war and its consequences.
He said: “You are telling us to devolve a system and call for an obscure Conference, to come and discuss how we can move forward as a nation, that can never be done, and no country will agree to that.”
The President spoke as a Special Guest of Honour at the launching of the Kudirat Abiola Sabon Gari Peace Foundation, in memory of the Zaria born wife of the winner of 1993 Presidential election, Chief M. K. O. Abiola.
Represented by the Executive Secretary, Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Alhaji Mohammed Bello Shehu, the President said that instead of clamouring for restructuring, or separation of the country, focus should rather be on actualising Local Government autonomy, and making of the Judicial system independent.
According to the President: “Those who are discussing restructuring, my question is that what are you going to restructure?
“If you ask many Nigerians what are they going to restructure, you will find out that they have nothing to talk about. Some of them have not even studied the 1999 Constitution. The 1999 Constitution is almost 70 to 80 percent 1979 Constitution.
“It is okay to demand for restructuring, renew of Constitution, but what is most important now is how can Nigeria State make Local Governmental functional, how can Nigerian States make Judiciary independent.
“Rather we ask Nigerians to put focus on putting pressure on National Assembly Members to make sure that the Local Government autonomy as enshrined in our Constitution is respected and implemented. So, if that were to be done, some of this issues like insecurity, you will find a situation where Local Government Chairmen in collaboration with Traditional Rulers will form a chain a communication to figure out what is really happening.
“So, those who are doing that (agitating) should go back and meet their Representatives in the House of Assembly, and ask for whatever amendment of Constitution. Due process should be followed
“The other issue is that those who are calling for restructuring and Conference or what they call ethnic nationality. If you go to Southern Kaduna, Taraba, who is to represent them. We have different combination of ethnicity in many states.
“Even Kano and Kaduna Igbos have properties. The same goes with Yorubas. There are Fulani in porthacourt. So those calling for whether seperation or restructuring, some of them I will say they are very naive or even mischievously dangerous.
“Those agitating for secession are ignorant of war and its consequences because Nigeria is a dominant force in west africa. My appeal to each and everyone here is to try and educate there children. We are better as a nation, there is no way we can be separated.
“And I said also that majority of those calling for restructuring are people that are so afraid to go into partisan politics. And even if they were to go into partisan politics they will not win. There is no Government in the world that will cede their authority to the people that are not elected.”