Duke seeks urgent restructuring, Taraba assembly urges caution

Ex-governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke, has urged an urgent restructuring of the country. He made the call yesterday at the annual Partnership For A New Nigeria (PFANN) summit in Lagos.

The forer governor who spoke on the theme, “Which way Nigeria? Towards 2019,” tasked leaders to chart a path of true leadership, devoid of corruption and ethnic barriers.

Duke said there was an urgent need to change the existing system of government by adopting ways to survive from the challenges facing the country.

He said: “The government must give way to a new structure that would drive productivity in all the states across the country. The driving force should no longer be hinged on oil production, but on other resources that Nigeria is blessed with.”

He stressed that all the states in the country have sufficient capacity to control their resources, adding that the federal system of government must change to ensure that they are independently productive.

The former governor canvassed states’ dependence on their population, mineral resources, agriculture and power, rather than surviving on federal allocation.

“Restructuring the country would bring back the cocoa house in Ibadan, the groundnut pyramid in Kano and the beautiful tourist centres that the country is blessed with. Oil is cheap money and does not create employment opportunities,” he said.

Duke called for continuity in government policies, adding that the best legacy to bequeath to the people is to assiduously work towards achieving set goals.

The founder and convener of the summit, Dr. Elishama Ideh, cautioned against taking the grassroots people for granted, because they bear the brunt of a failed government.

Meanwhile, the Taraba State House of Assembly has condemnedthe unending agitations for restructuring and outright secessions that have characterised the entire political landscape. The Speaker, Peter Abel Diah, made the condemnation when the house resumed from its recess.

He urged proponents of restructuring to channel their grievances through the legislature at both the state and national levels.

According to him, the lawmakers have the responsibility to “correctly measure the pulse of the nation as they alter the constitution.”