Nigeria must be completely restructured to move forward —Gov Makinde

RIPPLES NIGERIA

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, on Thursday, said there must be a complete restructuring of Nigeria if it must move forward.

Makinde, who stated this in Awka during the 12th Annual Zik Lecture, noted that over 60 years after independence, Nigeria had managed to remain indiscernible after going through the civil war and several elections.

The governor, who eulogised the late Nnamdi Azikiwe, and that the Zik of Africa fought to ensure Nigeria remained one, added: “A complete restructuring of Nigeria is needed at the moment if the country must move forward. What we should be talking about right now is what structure will work best for us.

“Zik was a dynamic man who was determined to play in accordance with the time. If Zik were alive today and still able to influence Nigeria, what would he be telling us right now? One thing for sure is that Zik will not be saying that because someone from this part of the country did not win the election, therefore, Nigeria should be divided.

“What is before us is not just uniting Nigeria, but uniting Africa. I don’t think Zik will tell us to divide Nigeria. There would not have been the issue of ethnicity if we listened to what Zik told us in the past.”

Governor Makinde also noted that the reason for the high ethnicity is that governance is too concentrated in the centre.

“The reason for the high ethnicity is because governance is too concentrated in the center. We should sit down and think of what would have happened if XYZ had become the president or we look at the healthy competition between us and use it to move the country forward.

“Zik of Africa as he was fondly called was born in Zungeru, Northern Nigeria. He came from Eastern Nigeria. We can understand why he had a national outlook and why he believed in one indivisibility Nigeria.