Abuja- Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has disclosed that the agitations for secession would not have arisen if the country had shown sincere readiness to address the underlying problems that feed the agitations by separatist forces.
Speaking in a statement in Abuja on Tuesday, Atiku explained that the restructuring debate transcends the ambition of any single politician in Nigeria,adding that any attempt to ignore the agitations could make a bad situation more complicated.
He futher emphasized that avoiding a problem won’t solve that problem, saying that with so much hate, distrust, suspicions and fears in the country, political leaders shouldn’t be afraid to confront the challenge.
According to him,”Our current federal structure should be freely discussed by allowing the federating units voice their grievances with a view to finding workable solutions that protects the rights and interests of all.
“The country could not afford to allow bottled up frustrations of the people to explode into violence, which threatens not only innocent lives, but also harms the country’s economic assets” he stressed.
Meanwhile, the All Progressive Congress Chieftain commended the resolution of the APC Progressive Governors Forum for calling for restructuring and true federalism, saying that the issue transcends religion and ethnicity.
The Waziri Adamawa also described as patriotic the convergence of positions around restructuring by leaders and stakeholders from diverse regions of the country noting that it confirms that he (Atiku Abubakar) was not just a lone voice in the wilderness in the inevitability of restructuring of Nigeria for the good of all
Atiku therefore, praised the Progressive APC Governors and other leaders and groups for their courage to confront the country’s most urgent national challenge, adding that separatist agitations are dangerously threatening the country’s unity and indivisibility.
