Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has said there is only one hope left for Nigeria's survival which is restructuring, failure of which the country would go down either peacefully or violently.
Anyaoku made the statement on Thursday at the 10th edition of Chief Emeka Anyaoku Lecture Series on Good Governance, held at Professor Dora Akunyili Women Development Centre, Awka, Anambra State capital.
According to the elder statesman, restructuring of the country remains the only solution to peace and unity and subsequent end to agitations for Biafra and Oduduwa nations.
He said, “Since I returned to Nigeria in 2002, I have been advocating for restructuring of the country, which I know remains the only tool to control the multi-ethnic groups in the country."
On insecurity in the country, the top diplomat expressed depression at the level of insecurity occasioned by the incessant killings, kidnappings and destruction of means of human livelihood.
“What I read on our national dailies every day about the present security situation in Nigeria makes me, at my age of 88 years, feel depressed. Even at night, I don’t sleep with my two eyes closed any longer,” he said.
The Buhari government however, is yet to shift ground in its approach to agitations in the country saying it would not bow to any form of pressure by any group in the country.
Speaking through the Senior special assistant to the resident on media and publicity, Malam Garba Shehu, the presidency said the demands by agitators in the country is not genuine, but only meant to intimidate the president.
He said: “The presidency has been talking and our position is clear: that this country is one, is united and, by the grace of God, will continue to be united.
“Look, one thing with this president is that you can’t intimidate Buhari; you can’t bully him. A lot of these people who are calling for secessions are the problem of this country and I’m happy that reasonable voices are now rising," he said in reference to groups in the southwest and South East who are against secession.
“So, this thing about secession is, they had used it in the past – you create secession talk to break up Nigeria and then you intimidate the sitting leader and then he opens the booth and he brings money to settle people.
“President Buhari will pay no one. He is not going to pay and now it is clear that having ignored all of that, reasonable opinions are coming from those states and from those regions. The governors in the South-west, we have all heard them; they have denounced all of these things.”
He described the calls of succession as a hoax, noting that Nigerians want to stick together even in the midst of their challenges.
“So it’s a sham, Nigerians want to be one, they want to continue. Yes, there are problems and we are hoping that, as people united and loving of one another, we will come together and solve our problems,” he said.