The southwest Think Tank, a group for the advancement of the Yoruba race has knocked the National Assembly over what it described as the attempt to sideline the report of the 2014 CONFAB through its Constitutional review process even as the group insist on the restructuring of the country along regional line. as the attempt to sideline the report of the 2014 CONFAB through its Constitutional review process, even as it insist on the restructuring of the country along regional line.
In a statement issued by the group after its emergency meeting in Lagos on Thursday, the group registered that any attempt to circumvent the wishes of the people as contained in the report of the 2014 Constitutional conference by any guise will fail.
The group submitted that every area that have been identified for restructuring in the nation polity have been duly addressed and solutions proffered by the CONFAB, adding that for Nigerians to live together in peace and harmony, the approach to solve the myriads of problems militating against the country must be comprehensive.
According to the statement signed by Chief Femi Davies, the Publicity Secretary of the group, there is no alternative to the restructuring of the country, insisting that the only panacea for peace in the country is for the immediate adoption of a restructuring process along regional line.
The group which commended the National Assembly for adopting Independent candidacy, local government autonomy and the scrapping of State Independent Electoral Commissions among others in its Constitution review process however said those amendments would have been more meaningful if they had come with other knotty issues like the state police, devolution of power which the CONFAB report has addressed.
Commenting on the inability of the legislators to reach an accord on the devolution of power to states, SWETT submitted that devolving powers to the states would not have done the nation any good.
According to the group, devolving power to the States would be counter productive, insisting that the development will promote division in the country as each state may take advantage of its independence to operate independent of the other, thus defeating the idea of oneness in the nation.
“Reversal to the texted and workable option of regionalism which has been proven to be effective before now in the country is the best immediate solution to the problems of the our dear country ” the group offered.
It thus appealed to those it referred to as decision makers in the country to be ” more sincere in handling the delicate issue of restructuring of the country” submitting that with justice and equity, Nigerians can cohabit progressively.
