Okonkwo Advocates Management of Diversities as Model for Restructuring

*Ex-minister calls for review of NYSC scheme

Emameh Gabriel in Abuja

The Chairman, United Nigerian Airlines, Prof. Obiora Okonkwo, at the weekend said there was no better way to restructure Nigeria than the equitable management of the country’s diversities.
This was even as former Minister of Science and Technology, Prof. ABC Nwosu called for the review of the National Youth Service Scheme (NYSC) to extend its service duration to two years.

Okonkwo stated this during the launch of a book: ‘Making Nigeria Great: Pathways to Success,” he authored.
The book, with 15 chapters, brought fresh insights and incisive reasoning into nagging issues such as, how Nigeria’s diverse ethnic groups could be welded into a truly united and peaceful nation.

The event which was attended by former Senate Presidents Bukola Saraki and Pius Ayim, former PDP national chairman, Baraje, former Minister of Sport Bolaji Abdullahi, former police IG, Solomon Arase and other prominent Nigerian also marked the author’s birthday.

The most captivated among the issues raised in the book was the idea of Value of Diversity: Restructuring to Save Nigeria and a quest for a new Nigeria.
Okonkwo said: “For example, nothing stops the states in the south -east from collaborating to build railways or monorails, to connect all state capitals in the region and boost economic activities that will drive development of the region.

“Such collaboration could also extend to the south-south region for mutual benefits, states in other regions could also collaborate to pursue development that are of mutual benefit to them.
“In doing this, states are now forced to look at their diversity to get, integrated backwards and make use of the best, because regions will be in development competition.

“This is the sort of thing that restructuring will achieve. It is not already happening because our current system of government enthrones a leadership recruitment system that does not allow for the best from our diversity,” he wrote in the book.
Okonkwo explained that the book was his gift to the educational institutions, gift to intellectual team, warning that the longer the nation waits to restructure, the deeper the wound and the hurt it experiences.

He added: “When we talk of true federalism, it does not mean taken what does not belong to anybody, it means people having what they should have and doing what they should do.
“The center has taken so much, the center still remains, active, with its own dedicated area of activities. In true federalism, you have powers in different states, doing also what they ought to do given by the constitution.

“This was a negotiated constitution before independence, it helped us, it brought about the fastest development, we have ever seen in this country.
“It will bring an end to a lot of issues, I hope the argument and opinion I have in the book will help people to know that this is not intended to hurt anybody or deprive anybody, but is to make us happier in this one entity Nigeria, where there will be equity, justice and fairness.”

Meanwhile, Nwosu, who wrote the forward of the book joined other prominent Nigerians at the event to extoll the virtue of Okonkwo, describing him as a rare breed that has successfully combined entrepreneurship, intellectualism and politics for betterment of Nigeria.

Nwosu who called for a review of NYSC scheme to further entrench the purpose of its establishment by the General Gowan’s regime, said Okonkwo put restructuring in proper perspective by saying it entailed managing all diversities in the country as each ethnic nationalities were created to be in Nigeria, and has an equal right in Nigeria.

He said: “Why not strengthen Federal Government colleges. Why don’t we strengthen the greatest nation building institution born after the Civil War by the man who declared it open general Yakubu Gowon when he set up the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) that is the greatest Nation building institution that we have.”