TheCable

Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, the Igbo socio-cultural organisation, says Nigeria cannot survive without restructuring to a federal system of government.

There have been calls for the restructuring of the country’s governance structure.

Last year, Augustine Amaechi, the president of the group in the northern parts of the country, said the people from the south-east geopolitical zone were not demanding separation but restructuring of Nigeria under true federalism.

In an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, Iwuanyanwu said President Bola Tinubu should “take steps to see if we can actualise this restructuring of Nigeria”.

He said without a proper restructuring, the country “would not survive for too long” due to the enormous pressure of diverse people. 

“We in the Igbo land are saying, please, let us have a true federal constitution. What we are operating today is a unitary government. It doesn’t work with people who have diverse backgrounds,” he said.

“I believe that the government of Bola Ahmed Tinubu should take steps to see if we can actualise this restructuring of Nigeria.

“Without a proper restructuring, Nigeria will continue to have problems, there is no way this country can survive.

“Today, everybody is talking about the presidency. In a restructured Nigeria, the presidency will not attract so much attention as it does today. Today every power is vested in the president.”