By Luminous Jannamike
ABUJA – Former Minister of Info and erstwhile President-Basic of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, has cautioned that Nigeria dangers disintegration earlier than the 2027 common elections until pressing steps are taken to restructure the nation.
Delivering a keynote lecture titled ‘How Did We Get Right here?’ on the public presentation of two books by veteran journalist Ike Abonyi, Nwodo criticised Nigeria’s governance framework, describing it as a ‘unitary structure masquerading as federalism’ that has failed to handle the nation’s advanced challenges.
The ebook launch, held on the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja on Wednesday, attracted key political figures together with Labour Occasion’s 2023 presidential candidate and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, PDP chieftain Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, who was represented by the Director-Basic of the PDP Governors’ Discussion board, Emmanuel Agbo.
Nwodo known as for the devolution of energy to the areas, useful resource management by sub-national governments, and financial federalism, warning that failure to implement such reforms may plunge the nation right into a constitutional disaster.
“Nigeria should restructure and provides its element models sovereignty over its pure sources, supplied they pay royalty or some type of taxation to the Federal authorities to take care of federal tasks like exterior protection, overseas missions, customs, and immigration. On this approach, true democracy will evolve, and the velocity of improvement will enhance,” Nwodo acknowledged.
He warned that if restructuring doesn’t occur earlier than the 2027 elections, some areas could boycott the polls or reject the outcomes, additional destabilising the nation.
“If it doesn’t occur, we can have no various however to go our separate methods,” he added.
The previous Ohanaeze chief additionally cited dire socioeconomic situations within the nation, together with excessive youth unemployment, worsening poverty, and a decaying infrastructure.
Referencing the United Nations World Inhabitants Prospects 2025 report, he mentioned Nigeria now has the bottom life expectancy on the planet at 54.8 years. He additionally cited a World Financial institution estimate that over $1 billion is misplaced yearly to poor highway infrastructure.
Former PDP Nationwide Chairman Prince Uche Secondus, who additionally spoke on the occasion, accused President Bola Tinubu of overseeing the ‘gradual liquidation’ of Nigeria’s democracy and financial system.
“We’re nonetheless removed from getting to a degree the place we are able to say we’ve got democracy. We don’t have democracy in our nation. What we’ve got is a platform for successful elections. Our nation is progressively transferring within the improper route to a spot the place you’ll be able to say Nigeria is on the verge of liquidation presided over by Bola Tinubu,” Secondus mentioned.
He additionally criticised Nigerian political events for missing ideological readability and consistency, contrasting them with South Africa’s African Nationwide Congress (ANC), which he described as a sturdy political establishment.
Martins Oloja, veteran journalist and former Managing Director of The Guardian, who reviewed the books, The Bubbles of Nigeria’s Democracy: The Musings of a Nigerian Journalist and Wadata Wonders: Memoirs of a Partisan Journalist, recommended Abonyi for overtly figuring out as a partisan journalist.
He argued that such a stance gives a vital problem to Nigeria’s longstanding expectation of media neutrality.
“The writer reveals in so many articles in each books that in a practical democracy, the presence of different views is essential for making certain that residents have entry to a variety of views and concepts. This range of thought permits for knowledgeable decision-making, promotes crucial pondering, and fosters a extra inclusive and equitable society,” Oloja mentioned.
Peter Obi’s presence on the occasion stirred hypothesis of a attainable political realignment forward of the 2027 elections, although he declined to make any public assertion on the matter.
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