Fulfil your electoral promise on restructuring, Afenifere tells APC

The Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has called on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)-led Federal Government to honour its promise to Nigerians during the campaign where it allegedly pledged to amend the 1999 Constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties and responsibilities to states and local governments in order to entrench true federalism.

In a communiqué issued at the end of its national caucus meeting yesterday in Akure, Ondo State, the group said Nigeria was in a crisis situation and as such, only restructuring could restore her to pre-independence state.

According to the document signed by Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Yinka Odumakin, the group warned that failure to start the process of restructuring the nation would make demands for self-determination more strident.

Afenifere expressed worry on the prostrate state of the economy which has resulted in several states failing to meet their financial obligations to workers for months with the accompanying hardship in the land.

It also raised the alarm at the recent disclosure by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara that 28 of the nation’s 36 states were under one military operation or the other, saying the development signals the low intensity warfare going on in the country and the general state of insecurity.

The communiqué further reads: “We are alarmed by the increasing spate of the impunity of the herdsmen in the southern and Middle Belt communities of late, we have witnessed the shooting of policemen who went to protect the former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Chief Olu Falae’s farm and the killing of his (Falae) neighbor-farmer as well as the chasing of students out of schools in Delta, Edo and Anambra states by cows.

“ And also the storming of Taraba House of Assembly by armed herdsmen to stop the lawmakers from carrying out their legislative duty because they were debating anti-open grazing bill without any response from the Federal Government.”

The group added that it was, however, shocked by the swiftness with which the Federal Government mobilised to defend the herdsmen who came under attack in Taraba State.

According to Afenifere, “while we do not condone attacks against any citizens, we make bold to say that the conduct of the Federal Government on the occasion does not promote an inclusive society as it gives the impression that the protection of the government is only available to a superior race while other nationalities are vulnerable because they are not represented in the commanding heights of power in the country.”