Group Proposes Nigeria’s Restructuring to Tackle Insecurity 

Felix Omoh-Asun in Benin 

A group, God and People Prayer Parliament in God, GAP, Nigeria, has proposed  the break up of Nigeria into seven republics to tackle insecurity in the country.

The Benin, Edo State-based group, said breaking Nigeria into various republics will safeguard citizens from unnecessary political tension and prevent terrorists from infiltrating villages. 

Founder of GAP, Dr. Dele Oluwatade who spoke with journalists in Benin, explained that dividing Nigeria into seven parts will make the citizens settle down to peaceful coexistence.

“Once the country is broken up, security men will be deployed to their various republics. This will give them the opportunity of policing their area, well known to them. Any outsider is easily detected,” Oluwatade said.

He posited that this will preserve Nigeria’s status as the largest black nation in the nation.

He noted the country needs a system that will insulate and protect Nigerians from each other, while living peacefully together in one country, saying the country will be able to defeat terrorism if the nation is broken into republics.

According to him, “when we are in a confederate system, the communities now are empowered to defend themselves.”

On the incessant terrorism going on in the country, he said, “a member of the armed forces said Nigerians should defend themselves, the battle is getting more than what the military can cope with. We agree with him. So what the President should do now is to divide us into confederation.”

Oluwatade emphasised that all the stakeholders in Nigeria should be reconfigured into confederation, noting “units that can now defend themselves. You cannot defend yourself in a presidential system.”

Advising that “Nigeria should restructure itself quickly into seven confederal republics to pre-empt international forces who may want to disintegrate Nigeria.”

He argued further, “When we are in a confederate system, the communities now are empowered to defend themselves. And that is what we are asking our President, Excellency, President Bola to do for us. This is not the time for political politics. Or party politics. This is the time to play politics with the people. To emancipate them and remove them and free them from the yoke.”

Oluwatade called on the President to stop playing election and party politics for now. “It’s time to emancipate the black people of Nigeria with the creation of Confederation Republic of major stakeholders, and empower them against nation terrorists.”

He named the seven republics as Hausa Republic, to consist of present day Sokoto, Katsina, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kano, Southern Kaduna, and Kebbi. According to him, the Kwararafa Republic should include Niger, FCT, Nassarawa, Plateau, Benue, Taraba, Gombe, Adamawa and Taraba.

Oduduwa Republic to take care of Oyo, Kwara, Osun, Ekiti, Kogi, Ondo, Ogun, Lagos, while Edo and Delta state will be known as Mid West Republic, and Borno Republic to comprise Yobe, Borno, Bauchi and Southern Gombe. 

He stated further that Niger Delta Republic will take care of Bayelsa, Rivers, Akwa Ibom and Cross River. And the seventh one, Biafra Republic will consist of Imo, Abia, Enugu, Anambra and Ebonyi states.

Decrying the present Nigerian presidential system, he said “Nigeria copied the parliamentary and the presidential systems of government and adulterated them to accommodate our greed, aggressive and oppressive imperial characters. The past and present political systems were copied from other countries without the essential stabilisers like secession and referendum clauses, and rules of engagement. Therefore it failed.

“The world cannot be watching us butcher ourselves with racial and religious genocides, banditry and political disfranchisement of major stakeholders. We either settle ourselves quickly or they will come to put us right.”