• Warn Buhari Not To Repeat Obasanjo’s Mistakes In His Anti-Corruption Crusade
• President Must Be Part Of Negotiators With Credible Niger Deltans

Nigerians of Niger Delta origin, resident in the United Kingdom (UK) have called for a restructuring of the country and the enthronement of both fiscal and true federalism, saying it is the only way of bringing lasting peace and stability to the country.

In a communique sent to the President on Wednesday and made exclusively available to The Guardian yesterday, the group, under the umbrella body of Niger Delta Peace Initiatives (NDPI), lamented that 50 years after the assassination of both Nigeria’s first military Head of State, Late General Aguiyi Ironsi and Lt Colonel Adekunle Fajuyi, who were both killed on the pretext that true federalism was to be enthroned, not only is this yet an illusion, the myriad of problems facing the country are evidence that the country needs to be restructured.

NDPI also used the communiqué, an offshoot of its July 2, Town Hall meeting held in North London, to warn President Muhammadu Buhari, against limiting his anti- corruption war to the administration of his predecessor alone, and that neither should the Goodluck Jonathan’s regime be labelled as the “most corrupt” in the nation’s history. NDPI said this would be “a great distortion of facts.”

The organisation said, “we would like to remind Nigerians of the July 29, 1966 assassination of the First Military Head of State, late General Johnson T.U. Aguiyi – Ironsi and his host, Lt Col Francis Adekunle Fajuyi ,” noting that: “Nigerians were told at the time that these two great heroes had to die because Aguiyi-Ironsi’s government introduced Unitary System of Governance to the country. Those who executed the heroes also announced to the whole world that the murders were necessary to enthrone True Federalism in Nigeria. Yet, more than 50 years after the death of the heroes, true federalism is still an illusion.”

Nigerians, they continued, were clearly “sold a dummy and today, the beneficiaries from the deaths of Aguiyi-Ironsi and Fajuyi, ironically have refused to restructure Nigeria on the basis of the True Federalism which they promised.” NDPI then noted further that, “ all our problems, including the current agitations in the Niger Delta, the marauding of the Fulani herdsmen, Boko Haram, corruption, poor educational system, lack of drinkable water, electricity, …….unity and development, are products of a skewed unitary system that have been grossly abused by those who always held power at the centre.”

The enthronement of fiscal and true federalism, they noted, “will bring about permanent peace and stability.” On Buhari’s anti- corruption war, NDPI said that while it supported it, this should be extended beyond the Jonathan era, as anything less would be “unjust to the Nigerian Federation.”

said: “We believe former President Jonathan, inherited corruption from the military eras of Gowon, Murtala Mohammed/ Obasanjo, Shagari/ Ekwueme,( civilian era) , Buhari / Idiagbon , Babangida, Abacha, Abdulsalami, Obasanjo/ Atiku, and Yar’adua/ Jonathan governments.”

The communique noted that since “ all the institutions of governance and all the associated departments of the civil service that worked with the above leaders were infested with acute corruption,” totalling about 45 years, therefore, “to describe former President Jonathan and his era as the most corrupt in Nigerian history, is a great distortion of facts.”

Warning Buhari not to be selective in prosecuting those alleged to be corrupt, NDPI, said “ we would like to see the President prosecute his corruption war without any exceptions as to whether the suspected corrupt person is PDP (Peoples Democratic Party) or APC ( All Progressives Congress ) party chieftain. We urge Mr President to understand why Obasanjo failed woefully in his fight against corruption, using the EFCC (Economic and Financial Crimes Commission).”

The communique also urged the President to “personally lead the Federal Government a team in any negotiations with a Niger Deltans team with proven integrity and track record,” while also calling for the withdrawal of the military from the Niger Delta and be replaced with the Nigerian Police.”