Against the backdrop of worsening insecurity, economic hardship and deepening distrust in public institutions, the Convener of the Concerned Citizens Assembly, Deacon Owolabi Oladejo, has declared that restructuring Nigeria is no longer a political option but a national survival strategy.

Oladejo, speaking at the opening of the Assembly, warned that the country’s highly centralised political structure had become increasingly incapable of responding effectively to the realities of a complex and deeply diverse federation.

He argued that Nigeria’s crisis could not be resolved merely by changing political leaders, insisting that the fundamental architecture of governance must also be re-examined.

His intervention has injected fresh urgency into the longstanding restructuring debate, coming at a time when insecurity, economic pressures, regional grievances and declining public confidence continue to test the resilience of the Nigerian state.

Oladejo said the central question confronting the country was whether the existing federal arrangement could continue to guarantee peace, security, prosperity and justice.

His answer was unequivocal: Nigeria needs a new federal compact founded on consent, stronger regions, fiscal responsibility and constitutional reform.

“Nigeria needs restructuring—not as a political slogan, but as a national survival strategy,” he declared.

The Convener maintained that excessive concentration of political, administrative and economic powers in Abuja had left the Federal Government carrying responsibilities that, in many instances, could be discharged more efficiently by governments closer to the people.

According to him, the present arrangement has also created a culture of dependency, with many states relying heavily on federal allocations rather than developing their productive capacity.

He advocated a federation in which regions would have greater autonomy to develop their economic potential, attract investment, generate employment and provide services, while retaining clear responsibilities to the Nigerian federation.

“This is the essence of genuine federalism: autonomy with responsibility, freedom with accountability, competition with cooperation,” he said.

Oladejo challenged the tendency to attribute Nigeria’s persistent problems solely to corruption and poor leadership, arguing that the structure of the federation itself deserved greater scrutiny.

He noted that despite Nigeria’s vast human and natural resources, the country had continued to grapple with insecurity, unemployment, poverty, weak infrastructure and declining faith in public institutions.

“The deeper question is whether the structure itself is capable of producing the Nigeria we desire,” he said.

For him, the answer requires a fundamental redistribution of responsibilities and powers within the federation rather than another cycle of political transition without structural reform.

Oladejo insisted that restructuring must not become another elite-driven exercise.

He said the Concerned Citizens Assembly was neither a political party project nor an initiative designed to advance sectional interests, but a platform for Nigerians to negotiate the future of their federation.

He disclosed that consultations had been held across the six geopolitical zones, with citizens expressing different views but sharing a common desire for a constitutional arrangement that gives communities and regions a meaningful stake in governance.

“This Assembly is not an attempt by political elites to negotiate the future of Nigeria behind closed doors. It is not the project of any political party. It is not a platform for advancing ethnic supremacy or sectional interests,” he said.

Rather, he said, the Assembly would provide a structured platform for citizens to deliberate on where they want to belong, how they wish to be federated and how they want to be governed.

The Convener drew attention to Nigeria’s First Republic, when the regions enjoyed considerable autonomy and pursued competitive development programmes in education, agriculture, industrialisation and infrastructure.

He argued that the subsequent expansion of central powers fundamentally altered the balance within the federation.

Oladejo said restructuring should therefore not be viewed as an experiment but as an attempt to restore an element of federal balance that had previously existed in Nigeria.

Under his proposed model, Nigeria would remain one sovereign country, but its regions would exercise substantial political, economic and administrative autonomy.

He envisaged a system where powers are allocated to the level of government best equipped to discharge them, fiscal federalism rewards productivity, communities have greater influence over their affairs and Nigeria’s diversity becomes an economic and political asset rather than a source of perpetual contestation.

Perhaps the most striking element of Oladejo’s address was his argument that national unity would be stronger when founded on consent rather than coercion.

He advocated a voluntary federation of autonomous and economically viable regions within one sovereign Nigeria, stressing that restructuring was not synonymous with disintegration.

“Nigeria’s diversity should be treated as a source of strength,” he said, urging citizens to replace suspicion with trust and confrontation with dialogue.

He argued that the choice before Nigerians was stark: continue managing symptoms of structural problems or confront their underlying causes.

The Assembly is expected to deliberate on proposed Articles of Federation, including the powers and responsibilities of the federating regions, fiscal federalism, natural resource management, regional constitutions, intergovernmental relations, security architecture, citizenship, human rights and institutions necessary for a stable federation.

Oladejo urged delegates to approach the deliberations with an open mind, warning that no proposal should be accepted or rejected merely because it is politically convenient.

Rather, he said, every proposal should be tested against whether it would make Nigeria more secure, prosperous, equitable, peaceful and united.

‘Nigeria has reached such a moment’

Oladejo warned that the country could not indefinitely postpone the structural conversation.

“Great nations endure because, at critical moments, their citizens possess the wisdom and courage to reform what is no longer working,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to choose dialogue over division, consent over coercion, responsibility over dependency and federalism over excessive centralisation.

The Convener expressed hope that the Assembly would produce more than another set of speeches and resolutions, saying its success would ultimately be measured by whether it could trigger a sustained, citizen-driven conversation on Nigeria’s constitutional future.

“Let this Assembly be remembered not as another conference where Nigerians gathered, spoke and departed, but as the moment when citizens began the difficult but necessary work of rebuilding the Nigerian federation,” he said.

For Oladejo, the ultimate test of restructuring is simple: whether it can produce a Nigeria in which citizens feel genuine ownership of the country and its institutions.

“This is my country. I have a stake in it. I have a voice in it. And I helped build it.”

That, he suggested, is the Nigeria the restructuring debate must ultimately seek to create.