Why The North Is Against Restructuring – Pat Utomi

Pat Utomi, a professor of political economy, says the aversion of some politicians in the north to restructuring stem from fear of unknown and what the future holds for them in restructured Nigeria.

Ekohotblog reports that Utomi said this at a virtual media parley ahead of the ‘Never Again’ conference to mark 51 years after the civil war.

Utomi said the immense reliance of the north on  federal government monthly allocation  has made them indolent, unthinking and unproductive.

He added that the north will collapse if Nigeria ceased to exist because they will become ‘formless’.

“There is a real crisis in the north that the south does not understand. They are painters of people who hate each other very much; that is the truth of the matter. That is why they are scared of restructuring because they don’t know where it will lead them, and outside of Nigeria, they are formless; there is no north,” he said.

Utomi, however, called northerners to dismiss such fears, saying restructuring will help them “become productive and move away from the poverty status”.

The professor also announced the second edition of the ‘Never Again’ conference, which he said will feature Matthew Kukah, bishop of Sokoto Catholic diocese, as the keynote addresser, while former President Olusegun Obasanjo will be the special guest of honour.

“It is recalled that Nigeria fought a bitter and internecine 30-month civil war that left in its wake a sharply divided nation with mutual suspicion, hatred and resentment across racial and regional lines. An estimated one million victims were killed immediately before and during the war,” he said

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“The conference will x-ray the issues that led to the civil war and the need for patriots to work together to achieve national cohesion, especially in light of several centrifugal tendencies within the polity.”