Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has said the government must give listening ears to the complaints from all regions of the country.
The former President said this would give all the ethnic groups a sense of belonging.
Obasanjo stated this on Friday at the National Open University of Nigeria’s convocation lecture in Abuja.
The lecture, titled “Restructuring and true federalism: Nigeria in perspective,” was delivered by the Vice Chancellor of Igbinedion University, Edo State, Prof. Eghosa Osaghe .
The former President, who spoke briefly after the lecture, said such discourse on restructuring would provide an opportunity for all stakeholders in the country to state their grievances and possible solutions.
Obasanjo said, “Nigeria must continue to give listening ears to the complaints of all ethnic groups in the country. This will give a sense of belonging to all ethnic groups and encourage them to effectively participate in the socioeconomic discussions and national development.”
Osaghe said the federal system of government practised in Nigeria could only work through restructuring.
He said, “The federal systems are delicate and difficult to manage. This is because their success cannot be guaranteed or taken for granted. Research confirmed that the number of failed federal systems outnumbered the successful ones.
“Restructuring, therefore, represents a continuous correction, adjustment, and reconfiguration process by which the federal system works and reworks its instrumentalities; this is to guarantee success and efficiencies of federalism,” Osaghe said.
The VC added that the federal instrumentalities of governance were expected to respond to “changing dynamics, demands and stimuli, which changed in consonance with changing imperatives.”
The NOUN Vice Chancellor, Prof. Abdalla Adamu, said the graduation of Obasanjo from the university with a Doctor of Philosophy was an indication that no one was too old to pursue education and knowledge.
Adamu said citizens must disregard age and other challenges to “diligently pursue education for self-improvement.”
