present Buhari administration to the issue. Another set back is the rejection of devolution of power by the upper chamber of the national assembly while voting recently on constitutional amendments.
“It is not yet clear whether the committee set up by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on restructuring will be able to recognize the demand as a very serious concern of the people of Nigeria at the moment and therefore convince the administration to address it accordingly. What is however clear is that the struggle for restructuring can no longer be wished away, nor suppressed nor ignored. The earlier it was addressed, the better.
“Ahead of the proposed restructuring, Yoruba leaders, in the communique released, also urged the states of the federation to realize that for the devolution of power and resources to translate to positive change in the lives of the people, state governors must invent new initiatives of providing better governance, management of resources and service delivery.
“In this regard, the leaders urged the governors of the South-West states to set up think-tanks and develop achievable programmes tailored to the developmental needs of their states while also integrating with their counterparts within the region to effectively address matters of common interest and concern.
“The governors of the South-West states were also advised to begin to harness the various potentials of their states, especially in agriculture, including reviving the Awolowo-era Farm Settlements, to boost food and cash crop production towards achieving food sufficiency, sustainable foreign earnings from cash crop produce and mass employment opportunities for the youths. Agriculture was once the major sustainer of the economy of the region during the first republic. As of today, agriculture is still a major sustainer of the economies of many countries, including the United States despite its technological advancement.
“For example, Ohio State in the United States accounts for a large volume of trade between the country and China with a single crop soybeans, which it exports in millions of tonnes to the hugely populated Asian country for the production of animal feed. It is the belief of the YLPI that the South-West states do not need to depend on federal allocations for their sustenance. For instance, they can develop their vast agricultural potentials such as cocoa, rice, cassava and even yam (which is used to produce pharmaceutical starch) as well as natural and other resources to sustainably develop their states.
“In actual fact, no part of the country is poor. Every part has various agricultural, natural and other potentials that can be exploited to sustain its development. The practice of true federalism empowers the federating states to harness these resources and apply them to the areas of need, which may vary from state to state. This is what the nation needs now.
“In carrying this agitation for restructuring forward over 100 Yoruba groups have decided for a summit at Adamasingba Stadium, Ibadan, on September 7, 2017, to work out a common front to address the issue. To me the YLPI summit communique should be taken as a template at this summit, there is little or nothing to add to it.
