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| Alhaji Adamu Ciroma |
Alhaji Adamu Ciroma, one-time Nigeria's Apex bank boss, administrator and minister of several ministries at different times has said any region which does not feel comfortable in the union has the right to opt for self-determination.
He made this disclosure in an interview with DAILY SUN newspapers. The politician said there is actually nothing wrong with those calling for restructuring of the country.
Alhaji Ciroma said Nigerians have been learning how to live together since they were wielded together by the British and there have actually been problem along the road in the country's journey to nationhood.
Below is an abridge version of the interview with DAILY SUN newspapers:
Exercepts:
Some people have called for what they call restructuring, to negotiate rules of engagement of the Nigerian state but each time the issue comes up, the North seems not to be comfortable with that concept, do you know their understanding of this concept? Is the north scared of restructuring?
Me, I don’t care about restructuring, I don’t fear restructuring. What I know as an educated man is that human beings, no matter where they are, as long as they are more than one person, there will be problems of how to live together and Nigerians have been learning how to live together since the British brought them together as one unit.
The problem varies from time-to-time and if you want to survive, you must know how to solve your problems; there is nothing fixed, there is nothing permanent, and the problems keep changing. So, Nigerians, to me, have done well.
Some months ago, some people were saying ‘kai Buhari, leave us with our corruption’ because they thought the alterative they have under corruption was better than under Buhari but it is not true. Every age has got its problems and you have to learn how to solve problems; if you don’t learn how to solve problems, you will die.
It does appear that you are not in support of any form of separation between the entities that became Nigeria; but the Britons that fused the nation together just got tired of the European Union and pulled out. So if any part of Nigeria wants to pull out, why shouldn’t they?
Any part of Nigeria that feels tired of Nigeria; that believes that Nigeria is not going to solve its problems and the alternative is to break away, break away is only one option. If you try to break away, somebody else is going to try to prevent you and the result may be bloody or it may succeed. So you haven’t got ready-made problems or ready-made solutions; anybody who wants to break, let him break. Didn’t it happen before, wasn’t there a civil war? What happened?
The Federal Government, not British government, the Federal Government of Nigeria went to war with some parts of the country attempting to break away and some part of the country attempting to stop the break away and in the end, Gen. Gowon said no victor, no vanquished.
Next time, the people who want to break away may succeed, it may be good for them or it may be good for all of us but so far, we cannot foretell the consequences of any part breaking away, that is the problem. When you don’t know the consequences of what is coming, you try to find solutions, sometimes in a violent way and sometimes through negotiation.
What I understand from what you have said is that anybody who wants to break away can do so but they should be prepared for the consequences?
Yes, we all have got to be prepared for the consequences. Ordinarily, shouldn’t people have right to self-determination?
Everyone has right to self-determination, it means I have a problem and I want to solve the problem… I am the one to solve it, if I want to follow that path to solve the problem, who are you to tell me not to take that way? But if I decide to take that way, how can I predict how you are going to act? That is why I tell you that you are always trying to solve problems and because you fear the consequences of what will happen. Has every country in the world got oil? Not every country has oil. Some have more problems than those who hasº, so what is it?
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