Nigeria’s former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has condemned the increasing banditry and insecurity in the country, and has stressed the need for restructuring.
Atiku, who spoke at the national dialogue and public presentation of a book, “Remaking Nigeria: Sixty years, sixty voices” in Abuja, said it won’t be a surprise if bandits and kidnappers apply for registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) and seek listing at the Nigerian Stock Exchange (NSE).
He therefore said Nigeria must restructure to witness accelerated development.
Atiku said, “We needed to fix Nigeria to avoid sleep-walking our way towards disaster.”
“Yes, the Chibok girls had been kidnapped and held in captivity 7 years ago. Yes, conflicts between herders and farmers had been with us before 2016.
“But who would have thought that our country would become a haven for kidnappers and all manner of bandits to the extent that their nefarious activities would become a major industry?
“They have been allowed to operate so openly and brazenly that it would surprise no one if they applied for registration with the Corporate Affairs Commission and listing on the Nigerian Stock Exchange.
“Five years ago, the Abuja – Kaduna Road was not a virtual no-go area. The SouthEast was not a virtual war-zone, and Amotekun was not needed to protect lives and property in the South West.
“These are among the clearest evidence that the issues that were the focal point of the book that brought us here more than five years ago have become even worse,” said the former VP.
According to him, restructuring of Nigeria is inevitable to witness sustainable development.
Atiku further said, ” The calls for restructuring have not been heeded. Constitutional provisions on federal character have been ignored and even symbolic gestures to make all groups feel that they are part of the Nigerian family have been scorned as though they are a sign of weakness.
“As a result, the agitations that turned more groups into “Biafrans” have become even more strident and, in some cases, violent.
“In my view, we must restructure our country in a manner that allows various segments to develop at their own pace and not be held back by the centre or other segments.”
