Why Nigeria Must Be Restructured – Makarfi
Former National Caretaker Committee Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi on Saturday listed the reasons why restructuring is the only solution to the plethora of challenges confronting Nigeria as a nation.
Makarfi, who addressed PDP supporters in Abeokuta, the Ogun state capital, said Nigeria needed to be restructured along three main blocs in order to guarantee even development of the country.
He however, promised to restructure Nigeria along these three paths of political, economic and social structures if elected as president of Nigeria in the forthcoming 2019 general elections.
“Restructuring is one of the key issues facing Nigeria now. And as a president, if nominated and elected, it’s one of the major issues that we have to face and address to make Nigeria work for everybody.
“Am I talking politics? No! It’s not because I am looking for something that’s why I am talking restructuring. Our leader, President Olusegun Obasanjo, in 2003, when he was thinking of the political reforms conference, he set up a technical committee to draw up the modalities and terms of reference of that conference. I am the one that was asked to chair that conference. And that conference was conducted on the basis of the report I submitted. But was the terms of reference comprehensive? No! The full terms of reference we submitted were comprehensive enough to cover all the issues that are topical now”.
The former governor of Kaduna state emphasised that restructuring is not about politics alone, but the one that included social and economic restructuring in such a way that will make the public institutions responsible to the people and eliminate ethnic bickering in Nigeria.
Social restructuring he said, must include the nation’s security apparatus as well as other public institutions like the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), the power sector in such a manner that would make them accountable to the people of Nigeria.
Makarfi explained that restructuring Kaduna state was a major factor that ensured the success of his administration when he was the governor which he said made peace for all the residents.
“The rate of death in Nigeria today is alarming. It is beginning to mean that when 50 people die, it is no longer news. We must ensure comprehensive security across the length and breadth of Nigeria”.
He said if elected, the federal government under his administration would work with the states, local governments, traditional rulers and religious leaders towards working on the nation’s security and ensure comprehensive security and peace in the land.
Makarfi also advocated that the power sector must be decentralised in its generation, transmission and distribution networks.
He said states that has the comparative advantage to generate electricity would be encouraged to do so, while such states transmit to others who could not.
Makarfi noted that with the present centralisation of the power sector’s generation, transmission and distribution is dangerous for the country in that once a division develops problem, the entire country would be in darkness.
On economy, Makarfi said the private sector would be encouraged so as to grow and provide jobs for teeming unemployed Nigerian youths.
He promised that his administration would evolve special incentives for special businesses in the private sector to enable them provide jobs for the people of Nigeria.
While lamenting the alarming rate of students dropping out of schools because of lack of funding, Makarfi pledged that the federal government under him would introduce students’ loan schemes to enable those who may want to drop out of school because of funding to continue.
He however, urged the PDP to ensure that it fields credible candidate for all its elective positions as flag-bearers in the forthcoming general elections to enable it make meaningful impact at the 2019 general elections.
In his remarks, House of Representatives member, Hon. Ladi Adebutu, who appreciated Makarfi’s efforts “towards restoring orderliness” in the PDP, charged the presidential aspirant to work towards giving the citizens “a united Nigeria”
Adebutu, who is also a governorship aspirant in Ogun state on the platform of PDP, eulogised Makarfi for ensuring that PDP did not go into extinction during the crisis periods which the party went through.
He also noted that it was Makarfi’s efforts that gave the PDP the opportunity of becoming “a strong opposition voice in Nigeria today”.
