Chief Anthony Enahoro | File Image
. Begins 100 days of celebrating Enahoro’s life
‘MNR believes that a true federalism can provide robust framework for meeting the demands of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multilingual, highly populated and geographically huge nation like Nigeria’
By Valentine Amanze
A socio-political group, the Movement for National Reformation (MNR), has called for speedy political restructuring of Nigeria by setting up a constitutional review conference that will douse the fears of ethnic groups in the country.
MNR made the appeal, while kicking off the 100 days of commemorating the birthday and sustaining the legacies of its founding chairman and Pan-Nigerian, Chief Anthony Enahoro, who died at 87 on December 15, 2010.
In a statement jointly signed by its National Chairman, Chief C O Adebayo; National Vice Chairman, HRH Sam Onimisi; and National Secretary, Dr Philip Idaewor, MNR disclosed that the celebration, which began in December 10, 2023, would end on March 2024.
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The group also called on the Nigerian political leadership across all the ethnic nationality groups to join forces with it [MNR] to appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to revisit the issue of ethnic nationalities and restructuring Nigeria.
Besides, MNR further disclosed that it was launching a ‘‘Time for Action’’ campaign with the unveiling of various activities and projects to draw attention to the urgency for the need to restructure the present political map of Nigeria.
“We therefore appeal to political leaders from across the six geopolitical zones to put the future and interest of the people at the front burner of their engagements.
“MNR believes that a true federalism can provide robust framework for meeting the demands of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multilingual, highly populated and geographically huge nation like Nigeria.
“We recognise the numerous attempts by both the military and civilian governments in the past to fashion a more equitable and balanced union, the last being the National Conference convoked by former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in 2014, which produced far-reaching recommendations for start to Nigeria’s journey towards nationhood,” it stated.
MNR also faulted the present Nigerian political arrangement, describing it as burdensome, unjust and holds the latent potential of Nigeria captive to a domineering overlordship to the majority of the ethnic nationalities constituting the federation.
It said that the task of restructuring had become more difficult with past administrations in the country because of the lack of the political will to do so.
“Despite many constitutional conferences convened in the past to address the lapses in Nigeria’s constitutional foundation, there has never been a concrete and conclusive achievement in terms of advancing the tenets of federalism in the country,” MNR stated.
MNR therefore called on President Bola Tinubu, who was in the trenches and fought alongside other democrats, including the Chief Anthony Enahoro, who was the Chairman of NADECO, to see that Nigeria becomes a fully democratised country.
The group also appealed to Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora to ensure that “Nigeria’s arrested progress toward nationhood, peace and unhindered development is finally freed.”
Recall that Chief Anthony Enahoro, CFR, CON, moved the motion for Nigeria’s independence from Britain.
He spent the later two decades of his life advocating for the political restructuring of Nigeria to address the unbalanced ethnic nationality question in Nigeria’s political space and save Nigeria’s diverse ethnic nationality groups from internal colonialism and domination.
He believed that this was the way forward for a more balanced, equitable and socially just Nigerian state with the capacity to propel Nigeria forward in development amidst peaceful coexistence among Nigeria’s diverse ethnic nationalities.
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