In this interview with SAMUEL AWOYINFA, Afenifere chieftain and Chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee on the 2015 National Conference, Senator Femi Okurounmu, talks about what the confab report recommended and the implication of not implementing it, among other issues

Sometime in 2015, you said the neglect of the Confab report fuelled pro-Biafra protests. Is that not making excuse for the protesters?

There must be an excuse for people to protest when they feel marginalised. We felt cheated in 1993, we protested. After the Biafra war, the Igbo have been struggling to integrate themselves back into Nigeria as equal citizens with every other Nigerian. Successive regimes have done their best to reintegrate them back, but (President Muhammadu) Buhari’s administration has re-opened their wounds by extremely marginalising Igbos simply because they did not vote for him. The President in his speech on May 29, 2015 said he belonged to nobody but to everybody, which means he will treat everybody equally. But the same Buhari later contradicted himself, by saying he could not treat people who gave him 93 per cent of their votes the same way he would treat those who gave him five per cent. Apparently it is the latter principle he has been following. Recently, we looked at the 59 appointments which he had made, only three came from the South East whereas the North West, the zone from where Buhari comes from, had 26. So where is the justice? Why will the Igbos not feel marginalised? When people feel marginalised, they will resort to all sorts of measures, part of which is to seek to take their own future in their own hands. That is what IPOB is all about.


Don’t you think the plan to secede may be treasonable?

The agitation for self determination is allowed by the United Nations. It is a right of all people across the world. Last year, there was a referendum in Scotland, they wanted to break away from the United Kingdom, but it did not sail through. If it had sailed through they would have been somewhere else.

One of the issues confronting the country at the moment is the issue of the Niger Delta Avengers and Fulani herdsmen. Did you discuss these during your deliberations as well?

We only talked about grazing reserves. I believe whoever wants to rear chickens must have a poultry; likewise whoever wants to graze cattle must build his own cattle ranch. That is the practice all over the world. We opposed the idea of the Federal Government creating grazing zones in every state of the federation but each state can create its own if it so wishes. But since the menace of Fulani herdsmen was prominent in the Middle Belt, we decided to create more states to liberate them from the tyranny of the Fulani herdsmen. We approved nine states per zone, and with six geo-political zones in the country, that makes 54 states. That was the only condition the Middle Belt gave for them to support the restructuring of the country.

Your comment gives one the impression that the Confab report is all Nigeria needs to overcome its problems. Does it mean the country may not have absolute peace if the Confab report is not implemented?

Unless we restructure this country, Nigeria will not know peace. We must have a country where everyone is first class citizen. As we are today, you are not equal to a Fulani man. The Fulani man is superior. What a Fulani man will do and get away with, you cannot do and get away with it.

With the issues at hand currently, could you tell us in plain terms how far the Confab report would have helped to solve some of these issues?

If Buhari had embarked on the process of implementing the report of the 2014 National Conference, a lot of the present agitation would not have arisen. Even though the conference did not approve the present six geo-political zones as the federating units, the Confab strengthens the autonomy of the existing states. For example, it gave each state the power to mobilise and develop its own mineral and other resources. Under this arrangement, oil producing states will be responsible for the exploration of their oil – no external persons will come and pollute their land, but they may work with technical partners on this. States will only pay a fraction of their earnings to the Federal Government. That is how it is done all over the world. If the Niger Delta people are in charge of their oil, they will protect their environment. Also, the Confab gave neighbouring states who feel inclined to merge to do so to form a larger unit and such merger is only subject to the condition that each of the states wants to merge. Such merger must be approved in a referendum by 75 per cent majority and the Houses of Assembly too in the states must also approve the merger by a two-third majority. The Confab further gave each state the right to have its own police to take care of its security, including having lower level of police even at the local government level. Above all, the Confab provided that each state will be in charge of creating its local governments, so that local governments will not be the concern of the Federal Government at all. In fact, the list of LGs will be expunged from the constitution, so that the states can have as many or few LGs as they want, without affecting the quantum of allocation coming to the states. We also changed the allocation formula. We reduced the Federal Government’s allocation and gave more to the states and LGs. Those are the aspects that will strengthen fiscal federalism, even with the existing structure.

The APC leadership does not believe in the Confab because they feel it was politically-motivated and because of the timing. How does that make you feel?

Who are the progressives? The APC leadership; Tinubu and Buhari. Though they condemned the Confab, their people came. The APC governors sent people from their states, some came through the civil society groups, Chief Bisi Akande’s boys were there. Chief Segun Osoba was there to represent the media profession. The opposition was just a smokescreen to deceive the people. The present constitution favours Buhari and the interest of the North, which is to preserve the current constitution, put together by successive military regimes to favour the North. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu aligned with Buhari because he wanted power, and compromised his earlier stand on restructuring. I ask, what has he got from Buhari so far? Atiku Abubakar is from the North, he favours restructuring, but the Southerners in this government are cowardly, they cannot come out and say they want it.

Read the rest - http://www.punchng.com/unless-restructure-nigeriall-not-know-peace-okurounmu/

dukie25:
Expect him to be called IPOB very soon.

Don’t you think the plan to secede may be treasonable?


The agitation for self determination is allowed by the United Nations. It is a right of all people across the world. Last year, there was a referendum in Scotland, they wanted to break away from the United Kingdom, but it did not sail through. If it had sailed through they would have been somewhere else

Equalizer:
Front page worthy...


But I will bet my left yarsh that this topic will be sidelined cos its about confab report..

Thewrath:


Nairaland thinks otherwise

hucienda:
Fulani... landlord of the republic.

bejeiodus:
There is no arguing what Senator Okuronmu said. Restructuring Nigeria is the only panacea for lasting peace in Nigeria. It is a pity that the Tinubus, Fayemis, Osobas, and other advocates for the restructuring of Nigeria have suddenly gone mute after a taste of federal power....
The current system is too asphyxiating that is why some people want to pull out. If the APC have no faith in the Confab report convoked by Jonathan, they can convoke another one. We really need to renegotiate our stakes in Nigeria. The earlier we do this, the better for the progress and unity of Nigeria.

dukie25:
Expect him to be called IPOB very soon.

petsam11:
Ahhhhh!!! Who is this man!!! I just Love this man!!! I like when people are very sincere to their consciences... He said the truth and nothing but the whooooooooole truth!!! Although I don't really support this fraud of a contraption/entrapment called "One Nigeria" but implementing the Confab report will go a very long way in helping this falling plane and drowning ship called "One Nigeria"!!! I love it when people say the truth regardless of the fact that it might not favor them or because they are not from a particular tribe... These are the type of people that should be leaders not all those "pocket-filling men and women up their.
May God Keep You Sir!!! Sensitive and reasonable citizens with conscience will applaud the truth in your speech while the criminal minded ones will curse you! This is one of the best interviews that I a
Have read so far this year!
May God Bless You Sir Beyond Your Imagination and Comprehension!!! Amen!!!

petsam11:
Ahhhhh!!! Who is this man!!! I just Love this man!!! I like when people are very sincere to their consciences... He said the truth and nothing but the whooooooooole truth!!! Although I don't really support this fraud of a contraption/entrapment called "One Nigeria" but implementing the Confab report will go a very long way in helping this falling plane and drowning ship called "One Nigeria"!!! I love it when people say the truth regardless of the fact that it might not favor them or because they are not from a particular tribe... These are the type of people that should be leaders not all those "pocket-filling men and women up their.
May God Keep You Sir!!! Sensitive and reasonable citizens with conscience will applaud the truth in your speech while the criminal minded ones will curse you! This is one of the best interviews that I a
Have read so far this year!
May God Bless You Sir Beyond Your Imagination and Comprehension!!! Amen!!!

petsam11:
Ahhhhh!!! Who is this man!!! I just Love this man!!! I like when people are very sincere to their consciences... He said the truth and nothing but the whooooooooole truth!!! Although I don't really support this fraud of a contraption/entrapment called "One Nigeria" but implementing the Confab report will go a very long way in helping this falling plane and drowning ship called "One Nigeria"!!! I love it when people say the truth regardless of the fact that it might not favor them or because they are not from a particular tribe... These are the type of people that should be leaders not all those "pocket-filling men and women up their.
May God Keep You Sir!!! Sensitive and reasonable citizens with conscience will applaud the truth in your speech while the criminal minded ones will curse you! This is one of the best interviews that I a
Have read so far this year!
May God Bless You Sir Beyond Your Imagination and Comprehension!!! Amen!!!

johnPollock:
this man speaks with sense....unfortunately there are a lot of apc saboteurs in the east who are blinded by power instead of fact. today marks another place of suppression ,not the one of racial america but that of an ethnic Nigeria.....the inhumanity as seen in black nations...today you all in citizens of the south can speak with honesty to make a true change for the south...for u, us children and ur generation ..

ruggedchap:


Nairaland was not like this in the past, it is so bad now that most real intellectuals and contributors have deserted the forum, only a matter of time......