Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson, has said the Ijaws would insist on the restructuring of the country.
He said restructuring woven around resource control, fiscal federalism and devolution of powers from the centre to the federating units would enthrone a fair, balanced and equitable country, where all ethnic groups would be proud to call their own.
A statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Francis Ottah Agbo, said Governor Dickson stated these while speaking with journalists shortly after a special inter-denominational church service to mark Nigeria’s 57th independence and the 21st anniversary of the creation of Bayelsa State at the King of Glory Chapel, Government House, Yenagoa, on Sunday.
He urged Nigerians not to see the call as a threat to national security, adding that the Ijaws believe in the continuous and peaceful existence of Nigeria as one indivisible entity.
While describing restructuring as an urgent national imperative, he urged those who are calling for it, to do so in the best interest of the country.
Dickson submitted that restructuring would help in laying a better foundation for the future of the country and address the current challenges threatening the peace, stability and prosperity of the nation
He said: We have to re-examine our nation’s foundation and see how we can make necessary adjustments that will promote a more stable and prosperous Nigeria. The current structure of the country is not sustainable.
“Very often, a number of our leaders misconstrue the call for restructuring to mean secession. No, those calling for restructuring are the patriots of Nigeria. Because we want to lay a foundation for Nigeria that will last for the next 100 to 200 years.
“Our view as state, ethnic nationality and region is that, we support the call for restructuring but we must all sit down and agree on how we can re-adjust our country. We are Nigerians. Nobody is more Nigerian than a Bayelsan or Niger Deltan. Nobody has the right to question our Nigerianess. We are the people that have been sustaining this country with oil revenue.
The governor used the opportunity to felicitate with President Muhammadu Buhari and Nigerians on the 57th independence anniversary and urged all to work for the good of the country.
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