Party's national secretary says govt has bigger concerns than restructuring

National Publicity Secretary of the All progressives Congress (APC), Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, has said that the government delayed plans of restructuring the country because it had been focused on more pressing concerns.

Abdullahi disclosed this while speaking to The Guardian on Tuesday, June 27, 2017.

He said PresidentMuhammadu Buhari's government is committed to restructuring the country, denying claims that the party was playing politics with the subject.

He told The Guardian, "My own take is that every government has its own priority and you will agree with me that if you have to deal with the issue of Boko Haram or you need to deal with the issue of the economy that has gone into recession and all that, you have to get your priorities right.

"I don’t think it would be a wise move to add the challenges of restructuring if you have not dealt with the problems that affect the average Nigerian.

"So when people are hungry, when people are losing jobs, when people's salaries are not being paid, I think any responsible government would consider this to be a priority even while it still believes in the restructuring of the country.

"The issue of restructuring is never a gimmick. It is in the manifesto of our party. How can that be a gimmick? That is why I said that the fact that it has not been done does not mean that it would not be done."

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Former military Head of State, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida recently lent his voice to the demands, arguing "for the devolution of more powers from the federal level to the states."

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar also issued a statement on Tuesday, supporting the calls for restructuring the country, thanking the APC's Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) for publicly backing it.

He further claimed that recent increased agitations for separation by several ethnic groups can be blamed on ignoring calls for restructuring.