The call for restructuring the country is gathering steam, with a former Director-General of the National Orientation Agency (NOA) Prof Elo Amaucheazi taking the same position.
He said there is need for an acceptable and balanced federation in order to enhance national integration.
Presenting the third Chris Efobi Memorial Foundation Lecture, titled “Leadership and Nigerian Political Development”, in Enugu, Amaucheazi submitted that under a restructured federation, Nigerians would no longer have dictators at the centre, while the constituent states would have enough inherent powers to checkmate the central government.
The professor emeritus of the Abia State University, Uturu, said the need for restructuring the country has been there for a long time and was partly the cause of the civil war in 1967.
“The military dictators rather than facing the problem squarely, distorted the existing structure the more by creating minuscule and insolvent 36 states, [resulting] in a total of 774 local governments [being] created as part of federating units of the country. This is most unusual for there is nowhere in the world a local government is a federating unit.
“The imposition of the new structure is rightly interpreted as manipulation by the Northern military leaders to ultimately hold on to power perpetually and appropriate a disproportionate share of the federal funds,” he said. “At present, the structure has meant in effect an institution of a unitary system of government to the advantage of Northerners.”
On Sir Chris Efobi, Prof Elo Amaucheazi, said that due to his leadership qualities, he was at one time appointed chairman of the management board of Good Shepherd Secondary School, Enugu and chairman of the state health management board, pointing out that the renowned pharmacist was also involved in settling chieftaincy conflicts at his village Oraifite, Anambra State, especially those that had denominational coloration, just as he threw his weight in the reconstruction of the war-battered school blocks in his alma mater, Dennis Memorial Grammar School, Onitsha.
While describing Sir Chris Efobi as a celebrated African leader, pride of Ndi Igbo, philanthropist and great Dengramite, the guest lecturer praised the organisers for honouring the late founder of popular Chris Chemist, Enugu, saying such efforts would inspire the younger ones to do good for society.
The chairman of the Dennis Memorial Grammar School Old Boys Association, Enugu Branch, Mr. Emma Atu explained that the lecture was organized in every July as a mark of honour to reward Sir Chris Efobi for his numerous contributions to DMGS, churches, schools and humanity and appealed to corporate Nigeria to support the Chris Efobi scholarship foundation.