Restructuring: S’West Think Thank condemns NASS

The southwest Think Thank has condemned the National Assembly over what it described as an attempt to sideline the report of the 2014 CONFAB through its constitutional review, insisting on the restructuring of the country along regional line.

In a statement issued by the group after its emergency meeting in Lagos on Thursday, the group posited that any attempt to circumvent the wishes of the people as contained in  the report of the 2014 Constitutional conference by any guise will fail.

The group submitted  that every karea that have been identified for restructuring in the nation polity has been duly addressed and solutions proffered  by the CONFAB, adding that for Nigerians to live together in peace and harmony, the approach to solve the myriads of problems militating against the country must be comprehensive.

According to the statement signed by  Chief Femi Davies, the Publicity Secretary of the group, there is no alternative to the restructuring of the country, insisting that the only panacea for peace in the country is for the immediate adoption of a restructuring process along regional line.

While condemning the National Assembly for adopting independent candidacy, local government autonomy and the scrapping of State  Independent Electoral Commissions among others in its constitution review process, said those amendments would have been more meaningful if they had come with other knotty issues like the state police, devolution of power which the CONFAB report has addressed.

According to the group, devolving power to the States would be counter productive, insisting that the development will promote division in the country as each state may take advantage of its independence  to operate independent of the other, thus defeating the idea of oneness in the nation.

” Reversal to the texted  and workable option of regionalism which has been proven to be effective before now in the country is the best immediate solution to the problems of the our dear country ” the group stated.

It thus  appealed to those it referred to as decision makers in the country to be ” more sincere in handling the delicate issue of restructuring of the country” submitting that with justice and equity, Nigerians can cohabit progressively.