Stakeholders at the fourth anniversary of Elite Exclusive Magazine for National discourse have called on agitators for secession to drop it and explore dialogue as a viable option.
Dr Okpe Opke, a Lecturer at the Federal University of Lafia, Nasarawa State, and Guest Speaker, at a dinner to mark the magazine’s anniversary in Abuja on Tuesday night said secession was a no go area, “Nigeria is better as a country’’.
Opke said that some secessionists were of the opinion that the best way to go about secession was to destroy lives and property or take the Boko Haram approach.
“Taking an extremist approach by destroying lives and property is a defeatist attitude, the best way is to approach the problem and find a requisite solution through dialogue.
“No doubt, the Nigeria Federal system is a creation of British colonial era from the amalgamation, but we can decide to have our home grown democracy that will favour us,’’ he said.
He said that even the call for restructuring was a state of mind, adding that the call boiled down to the fact that the citizenry remained the problem and not necessarily the structure.
He, however, noted that leaderships had crippled the structures that could have helped the system.
”In the present structure, where is the place of local government areas, what is their internally generated revenue, “unfortunately the governors have cripple them,’’ he said.
Speaking, Dr Motulah Olusapo, an Associate Professor, University of Abuja, said that the way forward to douse various agitations for secession was to embrace true federalism.
He said that many of the agitators were not patriotic as they had taken advantage of the present challenges to go into criminality.
Olusapo said that such approach rather than bringing succour could fuel further agitations.
He said that such vices must be addressed immediately to forestall any crises in the country.
“What can we do beyond agitation for restructuring and secession to proffer sustainable solutions to the challenges, so Nigeria will continue to remain one country,’’ he said.
According to him, there are some unscrupulous elements that are not making the Nigerian project to succeed hence these agitations.
Olusapo, however, called for a stronger political system that would bring the citizenry together and assuage their feelings. (NAN)
