His Royal Majesty Igwe Alfred Nnaemeka Achebe, the Obi of Onitsha has said there is a need for the country to be restructured in a way that will allow the different regions to thrive independently.
He said restructuring, rather than Igbo Presidency in 2023, was his concern.
The monarch argued that it was time that Nigerians shunned the idea of Igbo, Yoruba, or Hausa Presidency, and root for a President that would treat all the regions equally.
The monarch spoke with journalists on Friday in Jos after paying a courtesy visit to Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State.
Achebe said he was in Jos for the Anambra Cultural Day held on Saturday which was attended by all the indigenes of the South-East.
When asked if he believed in Igbo Presidency in 2023, he said regional Presidency was defective and laced with crises.
Achebe said, “I think you are going into politics now; it is a shame that people are talking about Igbo Presidency, Yoruba Presidency and Hausa Presidency. Nigeria should have a President who will attend to the needs of all Nigerians.
That is the important thing, what is important for my people today are basic necessities of life, including employment for our children and health services.
“I don’t believe in regional Presidency, I don’t believe in Igbo, Yoruba or Hausa Presidency. It sounds divisive; we want a President of Nigeria that is elected by all Nigerians to take care of the interest of all Nigerians without showing any bias. That is what we are looking for.
“It is the basic necessities of life that matters; it doesn’t matter whether it is provided by Igbo President or Hausa President. There should be a President that should be a President for all Nigerians and not the President for one section or the other. Igbo Presidency? It has to be President for the whole of Nigeria.”
According to him, Nigeria should be restructured in line with the regional system of government used by the British colonial administration before the country’s attainment of independence in 1960.
He said, “Yes, I think that most Nigerians also believe in restructuring because if the constitution is restructured, we will be going back to our independence constitution when we had the regions which were autonomous and yet, we also had a Federal Government in place.
“But the regions can now develop at their own pace; they will be happier and more united. But there is no one solution to the problems in Nigeria. It is an institutional solution; there are other problems in Nigeria. If the regions can have their own priority, then they will do the things to solve the problems. It is not one-size-fits-all solution.”
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