Otunba Gani Adams“Before we begin the talk of election in 2019, this issue of restructuring must be tackled headlong; otherwise, we will remain a country sitting on a keg of gunpowder.”
The Aare Onakakanfo of Yoruba land, Dr. Gani Adams threw this challenge today, Monday, at the Federal Government, led by the All Progressives Congress (APC). He spoke when a team sent by the Deputy National Chairman (South) of the party, Engineer Segun Oni, was at the Lagos home of Adams to dialogue with him on the proposal of the APC to restructure the country and present to him copies of the report of the Committee on Restructuring.
The Committee, headed by the Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, submitted the report to the National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, a few weeks back.
The delegation from Oni, made up of Senator Olu Adetunmbi, the Secretary of the el-Rufai committee, and Otunba Ben Oguntuase, told Adams that as one of the champions of the restructuring of the country, his input remains critical to the eventual position of the party on the issue.
Dr. Adams stressed that his belief in the restructuring of the country remains unshaken and unwavering, adding that without it, “we cannot become a Nation speaking with one voice and with a single focus”.
He insisted that the restructuring of the country cannot be said to be complete without resolving the issue of State Police and the reversal to the six geopolitical structure of governance, adding that the present structure of governance is not only lopsided and a waste of resources, but cannot guarantee the flow of democratic dividends to the people at the grassroots, who should be the priority of the government.
“There is no way the man at the grassroot will feel the impact of governance if the majority of the decisions affecting his day to day living are taken in Abuja.
“Before this will permeate to the grassroots, the impact would have been lost.”
Aare Adams said he stands with anyone or group that believes in the restructuring of the country,
Earlier, Adetunmbi had told the Aare Ona Kakanfo that the committee could not embark on such a project without consulting with proponents of restructuring like him, saying:“we have followed your position and know it is germane when it comes to State Police, system of governance and restructuring of the polity general.”
Adams, apart from his personal views on restructuring, was also at the 2014 Constitutional Conference, where he and others championed the cause. [myad]
