The Directorate of the Concerned Patriots of Nigeria (DCPN) has of late been at the forefront of the advocacy for the restructuring of the country. President of the group, Wale Olagunju, spoke with journalists on the issue, providing details of how they think some operational principles that hold the nation bound to perpetual decline in all facets of development should be re-adjusted. According to Olagunju, who is also the Presiding Bishop of the Divine Seed of God Chapel Ministry, Ibadan, Oyo State, the restructuring the group is clamouring for is based on sovereign country, sovereign states united without any form of division under a new name called United States of Nigeria (USN). Excerpts:

Your organisation is advocating for the restructuring of the country, which is not actually new because there had been calls to that effect. However, people would want to know the kind of restructuring you have in mind?
We call it the birthing of a new nation, new generation, unified people under a United States of Nigeria (USN) without any form of division. That is the theme of our restructuring. We are not promoting regional restructuring; we are promoting national restructuring. What do I mean by national restructuring? We are talking about a sovereign country, sovereign states united without any form of division. That is to say, as we have Lagos State now, the state will become a country as well as a state under the United States of Nigeria just like America. America has 52 states. A place like California is a country and a state under the United States of America (USA). Look at Dubai. They have seven countries, seven states. They came together to form the United Arab Emirates (UAE)

In Nigeria today, we have China and Japan of the world in Igbo land. The Igbos can build all those vehicles we import if you adopt the restructuring template we are proposing.  Look at Hausa; they can develop Sokoto and Kano better than Dubai. Look at Yoruba land; they can develop better.

But if we do regional restructuring, we had practiced the regional system of government during the time of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Tafawa Balewa but it crumbled. I am not faulting those who are advocating it; it is their own idea. But we are preaching an idea that will not cause any crisis. If we go regional today, there will be crises.

I happen to come from Ibadan. Who is going to lead the Yoruba people if we go regional? We can never have a leader like Awolowo again. Awolowo commanded the respect of the Yoruba. If we say Gani Adams is there; Sunday Igboho is there, both of them are fighting now. They took themselves to court and they are the agitators in Yoruba land. If we say the Igbos should go and become a region, what will be the fate of Delta State? Even Lagos people will not agree to join a regional government. Some people are just talking about the regional system; it is because of the corruption and tribal sentiments in the country. You hear ‘we want to go, we want to go’ because one tribe dominates others.

So, the kind of restructuring we are talking about is not breaking up Nigeria or regional restructuring. We want to preserve the entity called Nigeria whereby there will be no crisis again. If Abia, Anambra, Lagos, Ondo, Ekiti, etc. should stay on their own, I believe we are giving a permanent solution to Nigeria’s problems. And there will be rapid development.

Do you support the agitation for the creation of state police?
  We don’t need state police at this time. Already, we have Amotekun in the South West. If they create state police it will cause another crisis in the country. We had regional police in the 60s and we saw what happened then. Let me use my own town as an example; then if you are a member of the opposition and offend the ruling party, they will use the regional police to arrest you. Police will just come and knock on your door and get you arrested.  So, they will abuse state police. Some people will be using federal police while some will be using state police. So, we need to create something that will not create crises.

 
This restructuring we are talking about is very simple. We just have to sit down, put our heads together and fashion a governance system that will usher in a new lease of life for Nigerians. But the greed of our people is the problem. The poor masses have no problem; they are easy to control.  The problem lies with the elite.

Many Nigerians see the implementation of the 2014 confab report as the pathway to restructuring the country. Don’t you think that is the way to go instead of starting a new process?
  I was interviewed in 2014 about that conference and I said that they would not implement the report. Did they implement the report?
No; but people are calling for its implementation now…
  (Cuts in) They won’t do it. That is why we came up with this idea. My brother, we just have to renegotiate Nigeria.

If they didn’t implement the 2014 confab report, what makes you think the government will fund another confab under whatever name and implement the report?
  That is why we wrote to the critical stakeholders in this country and also visited them. We sat together with them and told them that we just need to renegotiate Nigeria. We are going to stage a world press conference where we will invite all our leaders and get them to reason with us. We are suffering in Nigeria and they just have to kill their greed and do the right thing.

Do you agree that in 2014, the consultation was wide before that confab was held just like your group is consulting now?
  It was not as wide as what we have done so far. We wrote to every ‘who is who’ in this country and sat together with them and we discussed. We have met with Babangida, Abdulsalami and Obasanjo. This is why you see Obasanjo talking about restructuring today. So, you can’t compare our own kind of restructuring with that of the 2014 confab organised by former president Goodluck Jonathan.

I’m not faulting that confab but Jonathan made a mistake by not implementing the report. He ought to have implemented it but because of inordinate ambition and selfishness he woefully failed to implement the report. He had the backing of the military. So, forget about the 2014 confab report. Those who are now saying the Federal Government should implement the report, would they do that?

What is your message to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in view of the position you have canvassed here?
  My message to him is to heed our call and restructure the country in line with our suggestions. That will be the only saving grace for Tinubu. If he fails to implement these things, he should forget about the 2027 election; they will gang up and remove him. But I want to assure you that Tinubu will restructure Nigeria. I stand to be quoted. We have gone far as far as this restructuring is concerned. 

What you are advocating for will automatically lead to resource control. Do you think it will be acceptable to all parts of the country?
  They just have to accept it. We practiced it during the time of regional government. All the states will be contributing something to the federal purse. If they mean well for Nigeria, they just have to accept that. As Ogun State has crude oil now, you just have to give them a chance to control their oil resources. After all, some northern parts of the country have gold and they are controlling it. You don’t expect me to go to Zamfara State now and control their resources. If they reject resource control, that is greed. We just have to renegotiate; Nigeria can’t just be like this. Everything is crumbling because of the structure of the country. Corruption and greed is what is killing Nigeria.

Is it safe to say that the type of restructuring you are calling for is one that allows every state to control its resources?  
  Every state should just be allowed to control its resources and contribute something to the national government. That’s what they were doing during the time of regional government and that is the best. It’s just a matter of sitting down and renegotiating.

What about states that don’t have enough resources to harness?
  Who told you that there is any state in this country without enough resources to harness? For instance, in Ekiti State, we have many resources. We have resources across Nigeria; it’s only that our leaders are not harnessing them. God really blessed Nigeria.

What Nigerians are concerned about now is how to deal with the hardship in the country but you are talking about restructuring. Is that your own prescription for hunger and hardship?
  It is part of it and we have written to the Federal Government about that. In that letter, we stated that they should first of all fix Nigeria’s power problems and reduce electricity tariff. Secondly, they should reduce the pump price of petrol. Number three, they should embark on agricultural mechanisation to ensure food security. Number four, they should look into the plight of cattle breeders and embark on animal husbandry. They should also bring inflation down and ensure security of lives and property.

Other reforms we recommended include: Enhance the purchasing power of the naira, build a united Nigeria, remove immunity clause and enact laws that will curb corruption and deal with perpetrators; create job opportunities for the youth; restore law and order; reverse privatisation; reduce duties paid on imports; reduce vehicle particulars/licence fees; total restructuring of the country based on sovereign country, sovereign states united without any form of division under a new name called United States of Nigeria (USN).

This is the type of restructuring we are talking about, not regional restructuring; for we need to redesign our sovereignty to fit our targeted purpose.needs of our people; which will enhance development, innovation, peace and unity without any form of division while maintaining oneness.

However, our own restructuring template should sink into the mind of everybody that it is not the same thing as disintegration or break up. Restructuring simply means re-adjusting some operational principles that hold the nation bound to failure and perpetual decline in all facets of development. That is it. It has taken care of everything, including hunger.