National
Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has said
the issue of restructuring is not the party priority for now.
According
to him, the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration is currently
focused on rebuilding the economy, creating jobs and ensuring the security of
lives and property.
The
APC chief said this in in Abuja, on Friday.
He
explained that because the issue was important, the party would at the
appropriate time; make its position on the matter public.
This
is as the Presidency on Saturday said it was on the same page with the ruling
APC on calls for the reconstruction of the country.
The
Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, said
this in an interview .
Odigie-Oyegun
noted that there were several challenges the administration was currently
grappling with.
He
said, “To bring this additional issue (restructuring) – is not the wisest thing
for a nation that is struggling to stabilise to go into an unnecessary
diversion at this point.
“Nothing
is wrong with the idea but at this time, it is best for us to concentrate on
our priorities. As a party, our priority right now is to rebuild the economy,
create jobs and deal with the security problems at hand.
“And
with what is happening in the Niger Delta you can see that there is so much to
do. We must get our priority right some day we will come to that.”
He
pleaded with Nigerians not to lose hope because the current challenges were
temporary while appealing to them to continue to give unwavering support
for the Buhari-led administration to enable it to deliver on its mandate.
Former
Vice-President Atiku Abubakar had, on Tuesday, advocated the restructuring of
the country to ensure the development and growth of the federating units.
“Agitations
by many right-thinking Nigerians call for a restructuring and a renewal of our
federation to make it less centralised, less suffocating and less dictatorial
in the affairs of our country’s constituent units and localities,” the former
vice-president had said at a book presentation, “We are all Biafrans”, in
Abuja.
Eminent
Nigerians such as a former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka
Anyaoku, and an ex-Chairman of the Nigerian chapter of Transparency
International, Maj. Gen. Ishola Williams (retd.), as well as groups such as
Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, and the pan-Igbo umbrella body,
the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, had also supported Atiku’s call.
When
asked about the Presidency’s position on the calls, Adesina referred to the ruling party’s roadmap for the country.
He
said, “The governing party, the APC, has a position on restructuring in its
roadmap for the
Online
check of the party’s document titled “Roadmap to a new Nigeria” showed that the
closest information to the issue of restructuring was contained in a section
titled “Strengthen peace, security and Foreign Policy.”
Under
that section, the APC listed its roadmap for peace, security and foreign policy
to include; to enable states to have their own local police forces that address
the special needs of each community, including community policing initiatives
that restore trust among local citizens; establishing a serious crime squad
with state-of-the-art training and equipment to combat terrorism, militancy and
ethno-religious communal clashes; and to provide a comprehensive compensation
plan for victims of ethno-religious crisis, communal clashes and terrorism.
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