ABUJA/Nigeria: The Sultan of Sokoto, Mohammed Sa’ad Abubakar, expressed his support for a national dialogue that will promote development. He denied opposing calls for the restructuring of the country.
At a colloquium organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) in Abuja, the sultan said: “If restructuring means dismember Nigeria, I am not for it but if it will make life better, much more convenient for all of us as a people, then let us sit down and discuss it and come up with solutions. I know all the groups from the South-West, South-South, North and South-East have position papers. I also know that so many things were discussed at the 2014 national conference even though people now say that conference was politically motivated, but whatever happened, Nigerians came together under that umbrella. If we can take some of those issues and take positions on them.
“I was misquoted as saying that I oppose restructuring when I did not even use that word.”
In furtherance of the call for restructuring, the Coalition of Niger Delta Agitators is also insisting on the restructuring of the country, saying it would guarantee a more united and prosperous Nigeria.
The group also restated its call for resource control as well as the relocation of the headquarters of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) and other oil companies back to the Niger Delta region.
The group further claimed that the people of the Niger Delta region where the country’s oil deposit is domiciled are practically sidelined in the allocation of oil blocs.
“After so many years of sharing, wasting and siphoning off of trillions of naira taking from the Niger Delta region, it is now time for the Niger Delta people to control their resources, manage them in a prudent manner and develop the Niger Delta region.”
