Ikokwu tasks Jonathan, NASS on restructuring, anti-graft bill

By Clifford Ndujihe
SECOND Republic politician, Chief Guy
Ikokwu has urged President Goodluck
Jonathan and the National Assembly to
expedite action on the passage of the Anti-
corruption Bill and the presentation of a bill
on the restructuring of the polity as ratified
by the 2014 National Conference.




He itemised a litany of national issues he
said the President must urgently address
before handing over to President-elect,
Major-General Muhammadu Buhari (retd),
next month.

Ikokwu said some of the issues the nation
must strategize on right away in a
constructive manner as the new government
takes over in May this year include “the
military and security situation in parts of the
North and the routing of the remaining
enclaves in Sambisa where the Boko Haram
has depots and heavy Munitions Cells. As
promised, this should be done by end of May
to a large extent.

“The next is the execution of the anti-
corruption bill in the National Assembly
which the Senate promises to complete this
April so that the President can sign it. Many
national fraudsters and highly corrupt
officials in the political and public domain
will be unmasked by the legislative and
executive web.

“The new government will be in a quandary
to implement it firmly as the world and our
people watch. It can be achieved to a large
extent by prudence and technocracy.”

According to him, another issue is ‘’the
immediate presentation to the National
Assembly of an Executive bill now for the
implementation of the restructuring of the
national polity as proposed by the Abuja
National Conference and endorsed by the
Federal Executive Council before the
elections.

‘’The real essence of the restructuring is to
redress the present unitary imbalance by the
proposed fiscal and true federalism. Most of
the six geo-political zones in the country are
clamouring for restructuring. In the South-
West, for instance, it was a glaring issue by a
vast majority that the restructuring exercise
be done at once. So it has been in the South-
South, the South-East and North-Central
zones for many decades now. This exercise
will enhance the capital developments of the
country as was the case when we had
regions before the military intervened about
50 years ago.’’

Stressing the need to restructure the country,
the former Anambra State Chairman of the
defunct Nigerian Peoples Party (NPP) said:
‘’It will be absolutely futile and will stagnate
the development of the nation should the new
APC National Government be found to dilly-
dally on this and other issues. …Our culture
enhances parliamentary and internal
democracy rather than the authoritarian and
cornice system of personal fiefdom inherited
from the military. It was this perception that
led to the coup and murder of General Aguyi
Ironsi and General Adekunle Fajuyi. The cost
of governance will be reduced in favour of
capital developments.’’

‘’The immediate decentralization of the
power generation infrastructure which has
been developed by the central PDP
administration, state or zones should be able
to tap power resources from the solar and
wind systems, hydro, coal, oil and gas which
are in abundance across the country. Even
the Green Revolution can produce energy
from rubbish dumps, sugar cane, water and
other sources which many countries are now
developing, and Nigeria cannot be an
exception as she has been blessed by nature
and God,’’ he added