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An elder statesman and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Charles Ogbonnaya, has advocated the return to regionalism as a means of curbing insecurity, enhancing economic growth, and sustaining the unity of Nigeria. He said that with the imminent establishment of State Police, the time has come for Nigeria to be restructured along regional government lines to fast-track the economic growth of parts of the country at their own pace. Chief Ogbonnaya, who was speaking to newsmen in Umuahia against the background of the passage of the State Police Bill by the National Assembly, said the time has come for a total restructuring of the country. “I believe that the time has come for us to stop playing the ostrich. We should go the whole hog by returning to regional government if we are to make progress both in security and the economy,” he argued. Ogbonnaya, who is the Evulogu Ibeku, reflected on the early days of independence in Nigeria when the various regions were autonomous while making contributions to the running of the centre, saying those were the glorious days of Nigeria. According to him, “The North had its groundnut and other agricultural products, the West had its cocoa, while the East had its palm oil, and each of them flourished. If we go back to regional government, each region will leverage its comparative advantage for development.” “Since some parts of the country have decided to make banditry and kidnapping their areas of comparative advantage, we should allow them that freedom while those of us should explore our own areas of development,” he insisted. He gave examples of countries where restructuring had led to rapid improvement in the economy and unity, as against the current form of federalism being practised in Nigeria, which he described as stifling. Chief Ogbonnaya, who was a two-term commissioner in Abia State, reminded the leaders of the APC that one of its cardinal manifestos was the restructuring of Nigeria. He said now that Nigeria was inching closer to the establishment of the State Police, which is a key component of restructuring, the APC should initiate the total package for the betterment of Nigerians. He expressed confidence that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as a core progressive, will lead the way towards the restructuring of the country.
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