The agitations in the country are on the rise, there are calls for referendum and other calls for true federalism and restructuring.
Daily the media is filled with varied stories regarding the threatened unity of the nation. The government is under duress and an urgent intervention is pertinent.
Below are the major issues being looked at in the news for this Friday, June 23.
We begin with The Punch which bears the headline: “N’Assembly under attack”.
National Assembly under attack – Paper Review
Prominent groups and economic experts have criticised the National Assembly for reducing the budgetary allocations for projects such as the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway and the Second Niger Bridge.
The lawmakers reduced the budget for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway from N31bn to N10bn, while the vote for the Second Niger Bridge was cut from N15bn to N10bn.
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But as against N115bn budgeted for the federal lawmakers in 2016, the National Assembly hiked its budget to N125bn in 2017.
Condemning the lawmakers, civil rights organisations said the National Assembly, by slashing allocations for the projects and increasing its own votes, had shown that it was selfish.
The Guardian bears the headline: “M’Belt northern minorities seek 12 regions, 54 states”
National Assembly under attack – Paper Review
Leaders of the Middle Belt and other northern minorities met in Abuja yesterday and asked the Federal Government to immediately begin the implementation of the 2014 national conference report to address the agitations for the restructuring of the country.
The meeting, which was convened under the aegis of Middle Belt Leaders’ Forum was attended by other leaders from Adamawa, Taraba, Southern Kaduna and the six states in the North Central zone.
They specifically canvassed a middle belt region made up of the current six states in the North Central zone, as well as Southern Kebbi, Southern Kaduna, Southern Borno and parts of Adamawa, Taraba and Gombe states.
Vanguard bears the headline: “Weak governance, cause of agitations – APC govs”
National Assembly under attack – Paper Review
Twenty Four governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC have blamed the current wave of separatist agitation on weak governance as provided across the different tiers
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The governors under the aegis of Progressive Governors’ Forum PGF also blamed the dwindling fortunes of the economy as well as poor law enforcement mechanisms for the agitations.
This Day bears the headline: “Nigeria will remain one united country, says Sultan”
National Assembly under attack – Paper Review
Efforts to douse the rising tension in the country have received a huge boost with the Sultan of Sokoto, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, saying Nigeria will not only overcome the prevailing hate-filled agitations but will also remain one united country.
A coalition of northern youth groups had recently given the Igbos living in the northern parts of the country up to October 1, 2017 to quit or face the consequences of failing to obey the notice.
The action, which was predicated on the agitations by some Igbo youths in the South-east for an independent state of Biafra, had attracted retaliatory quit notices from other sections of the country with several sectional groups issuing hate statements that had put the nation on the edge.
The Nation bears the headline: “APC governors back true federalism, restructuring”
National Assembly under attack – Paper Review
All Progressives Congress (APC) governors are backing restructuring and true federalism as a way out of the agitation for Nigeria’s break-up.
The Progressives Governors Forum also said that the recent agitation by some ethnic groups was a reflection of the prevalent weak governance, economy and law enforcement.
In an eight-page document containing the governors’ position on the challenges to Nigeria’s unity, entitled “There has to be a nation first”, they said that the demands for political restructuring and true federalism could be met by adjusting the federal system.
Such an adjustment, said the governors, will not on its own address the root and branch of the country’s challenges, but it is worth pursuing to meet the demands of various groups.
Below is ZENITHBLOG.com video in which which Nnamdi Kanu addressed his followers in Isiama Afara, Abia state.
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