- Dr Ezekiel Izuogu said he was disappointed that the APC was not focusing on restructuring
- The party chieftain said he was particularly surprised at the statement credited to the APC national chairman, John Oyegun
- He noted that restructuring will propel the party to progress
Dr Ezekiel Izuogu has expressed disappointment at the way the All Progressives Congress (APC) is handling the issue of restructuring of the country.
In an interview with The Sun, the APC chieftain said he was very surprised when he heard that the APC does not support restructuring.
He said: "I am disappointed. I am surprised that my friend, Chief John Oyegun, the national chairman of APC, has been a progressive unionist for many years. I am surprised that he is saying that. I am yet to see him on it. I cannot believe in a party that does not believe in restructuring the country. If you don’t believe in it, then what are you saying?
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"How are you defending the progressives? Restructuring matters to the progressive person very much. If you remove it, you are now putting dictatorship. Whatever you dictate is what you believe in. So, I was very disappointed when I saw that in the papers, that APC is saying they don’t support restructuring. What then do you support?
"Let me be honest with you, there is a lot of insincerity in Nigeria politicians. I am still looking for sincerity in Nigeria politicians. It is the insincerity that is causing the problem. They know that there is great joy in restructuring.
"Restructuring is saying use whatever you have to grow the state and the nation economically. In synopsis, it means that everybody should work hard for the good of Nigeria and the world. But if we don’t support it, idleness will be encouraged. The account of the federation is money contributed by states. In other words, if you want to stay idle and want other states to contribute for you to live life, which is not good for the average common man."
On whether the 2014 national conference actually recommended restructuring or regionalism, the APC chieftain said information on regionalism was incorrect.
"I don’t think that is correct. I can go back to that report again and the report was very strong and restructured. Everything we decided there was based on restructuring. Creation of state police and all that was restructuring.
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"Give individual states enough power to develop their own economy in the interest of the Nigerian economy. During the conference people didn’t sleep. We had the committee of South-South, South-East, South-West, and also Middle-Belt. We spent hours on each of these points and we finally agreed and signed it. Some people who are now disbelieving our decisions are doing so out of influences," he said.
NAIJ.com reported that a 10-man committee was set up by Nigeria’s APC to articulate the party’s position on the issue of the country’s restructuring.
According to reports, Nasir El-Rufai, the Kaduna state governor, has been named as chairman of the committee, while the committee’s secretary will be Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi.
Watch a NAIJ.com TV video below of Nigerians speaking about the issue of restructuring: