Restructuring: Our coming together not by mistake – Sultan

The Sultan of Sokoto Alhaji Muhammadu Sa’ad Abubakar has urged Nigerians to pay attention to issues that unite us rather than those that divide us.

He stated this yesterday in Abuja at the opening ceremony of the national colloquium organised by the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) with the theme “The Labour Movement and The Future of National Unity: What Role for Restructuring?”

The Sultan said, “It is good to seat down and dialogue but there must be respect. I must respect you and you must respect me. And the greatest thing we can do for this country is always reflect on our history.

“Because we didn’t fall from the sky, we came from somewhere. We became Nigeria in 1914 through amalgamation. People are shouting that our coming together as a country in 1914 was mistake, but God doesn’t make mistakes. If God doesn’t want such a thing as Nigeria to happen, nobody could ever have made it happen.”

The sultan urged the organised labour to be at the forefront the issues affecting the country, saying “Not through strike, even though strike would be the last option but there are things we need to take much more seriously and make our lives much better. But because we have left a vacuum, others came and told us there is a vacuum. So I challenge you to take up the mantle now, occupy your right position and make good things to happen in this country through your solidarity. You must put personal interest aside.”

“I know that many of these groups from the North, West, South-South and South East agitating for this or that have their positions. But despite the realities at present, no group has the right to tell anybody you must leave this place or that place if we still live in this country called Nigeria. I say, instead of talking about devolution of power, let’s talk about devolution of economy,” he added.

He also harped on the need to look at the report of the National Conference.

Also speaking, President of the NLC Ayuba Wabba said the colloquium was in response to recent developments in the polity, and the stringent and vocal calls for the restructuring of the nation.

The NLC President said the large part of the nation’s problem has been caused by the poor leadership, adding that the inability to administer the nation’s rich resources in a way that will benefit the vast majority of Nigerians has been at the centre of our crisis.

Wabba however said that the root cause of all the agitations is non-practice of true federalism which the NLC stands for.