Nobel
Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, his
predecessor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and the Chairman Presidential Advisory
Committee Against Corruption (PACAC), Prot, Itse Sagay, yesterday made attempts
to answer questions about the knotty issue of restructuring the nation.
Speaking
at the 20th Wole Soyinka Annual Lecture with the theme: “Nigerian State in the
Aftermath of the Centenary: Prospect For its Indivisibility” held in Benin
City, Governor Obaseki, who was the chairman of the occasion, said Nigeria’s
unity was non-negotiable and maintained that it was possible to make Nigeria
great and prosperous again.
Obaseki
said that having the right leadership at all levels of government and the
different aspects of life was the panacea to the recurring problem of the
clamour for self-determination in the country.
“The
question of whether Nigeria has come to stay is a non-issue. The real issue is
what sort of country should we create for ourselves?” he queried.
He
explained that his administration was making concerted efforts to provide good
leadership for Edo people and make positive impact in the lives of the youths
to enable them take charge of their future.
He
commended the organisers of the lecture, noting that the topic was apt and
timely, considering the agitations across the country.
In his
presentation, the guest lecturer and former governor of Edo State, Comrade
Adams Oshiomhole, said what should be paramount in the minds of Nigerians
should be how to make the Nigeria Project a viable reality.
He
explained that what needed to be addressed in the country was the socio-economic
structure as well as the problem of bad leadership which has corruption at its
core.
“It is
not in our interest that after 103 years of existence, we should be thinking of
dividing. It is not a viable conversation that having lived this long together
we should divide, rather we should think of ways of doing things differently
for better results,” Oshiomhole said.
He
frowned at the wasteful spending of scarce resources by some government
officials, noting that resources should be properly channelled to improve the
standard of living of the masses.
“The
structural issue in the country needs to be addressed, the issue is really that
of the very rich structure and the very poor structure. In addressing our
challenges, we should restructure our attitude, character and value system and
manage our resources well so that a very rich nation such as Nigeria will be
able to take care of her poor people.”
Also
speaking, the Chairman PACAC, and a discussant at the lecture, Prof. Itse
Sagay, said a return to true federalism would promote good governance in the
country.
Sagay
urged that states be given autonomy as a situation where state governments have
been reduced to mere civil servants, depending on monthly allocation was not
ideal. “Why should the centre have all the resources and states be
impoverished? This has led to the inability of state governments to carry out
their responsibilities.’’
In
conclusion, Soyinka, in whose honour the event was held, called on all
Nigerians to unite against the common enemy of corruption, stressing that in
Nigeria, it is not actually one tribe that is against the other or one religion
that threatens the other, rather it is the league of the corrupt that has
caused impoverishment of the numerous ordinary people. (News Express)
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