Former Governor of Kaduna State, Balarabe Musa, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari, to immediately restructure Nigeria or prepare for a revolt.
He, however, cautioned against attempts to restructure the country based on reactionary demands of the time or a return to supremacy of ethnic nationalities.
The elder statesman, who spoke with The NEXT EDITION in an exclusive interview, weekend, insisted that what Nigeria required to pull out of its present crisis is progressive restructuring.
He also advocated a holistic implementation of the post-Civil War programme of Reconciliation, Reconstruction, and Rehabilitation across the country.
“The government should undertake an honest restructuring of the country and reconcile the people of Nigeria. They must get everyone to believe in the unity of the country and let us believe it is a reality and not just in words,” he advised.
“Let us have a common purpose, let us build a united nation. It should be akin to what happened immediately after the civil war when Gen. Gowon came up with the Three Rs – Rehabilitation, Reconstruction, and Reconciliation.
“If we had continued with that policy and sincerely, we would not be having what we are having today. We have to reconcile Nigerians. Again, we have a political structure that is not helping matters.
“The creation of this mindless number of states is creating problems. We have states that are not viable. We have states that cannot cater for the welfare of the people and some that cannot pay the least thing as salaries.”
He called for the adoption of the 1963 Constitution, where the country had viable regions as federating units, saying a minimum of six and a maximum of eight regions be created.
Under the arrangement, he said each of the regions would have the power to create as many states and local government areas as they could sustain and based on the resources available to them.
Mr. Musa said the government should return to the situation where the state played the leading role in the economy to ensure peace, equality, and justice, security of the human person and progressive even development of the country.
Speaking of the achievements made by the country 57 years after its independence, Mr. Musa said Nigeria is a complete disappointment when the level of its development and the quantum of its resources are considered.
He blamed the Buhari administration for exacerbating the country’s problem by failing to fulfill almost all the promises it made to the electorate.
“The present administration is a part of the problem of public deceit we have seen ever since. There is no difference between this administration and the previous ones,” he continued.
“The living condition of the people is getting worse; there is a crippling level of corruption and criminal wastage of public funds and this is a loss of confidence in the unity of the country.
“The administration has made worse, the agitation for cessation because of some of its actions and inactions. Every government is expected to correct the mistakes of the past and move forward but this administration is not doing that. As we speak the living conditions of the people is getting worse every day.
“People cannot survive without stealing in one form or another, either directly or indirectly, knowingly or unknowingly. If you refuse to steal, you may likely starve to death.”
The elder statesman said except those who do not have the opportunity, a majority of Nigerians are stealing to survive and wondered how the country could make meaningful progress under such a situation.
