…Urges Gov Wike To Run For ‘South-South Presidency’
Renown Niger Delta rights activist, Rev. Soberekon Sokari has warned that true peace and stability may continue to elude the nation because of its refusal to adopt true federalism despite the clamour from different quarters.
Sokari, who is popularly knownas ‘Senior Advocate of Niger Delta (SAND)’ by his teeming admirers, pleaded with President Mohammadu Buhari and the National Assembly to kickstart a process of restructuring, as a matter of urgency.
The activist who spoke with National Network on Tuesday, said it was obvious that the country is on the precipice and needed sincere and collective efforts by well-meaning Nigerians to keep it going.
“To avoid another civil war, the government should restructure Nigeria. The National Assembly should use the new Electoral Law and enshrine Restructuring so that each of the six geo-political regions would be autonomous and control its resources.
“Everybody in Nigeria is saying ‘we are right’ and what I decode from that is ‘war’. I don’t want to see war again because war would set us back.
“The Ibo man would not want to be ruled by anybody. The Yoruba man does not want another tribe to rule her, and the same applies to the Hausa and people of the minority ethnic groups. Nobody wants to be ruled by the other”, said the 80-year old clergyman and General Overseer of Christ Jesus Link Gospel Ministry, Marine Base, Port Harcourt.
He went on: “Moses cry to Pharaoh was ‘Pharaoh, let my people go! I am now telling Buhari, ‘let my people go, by restructuring Nigeria to True Federalism’.
Rev. Sokari while commending the leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Siwaju Ahmed Tinubu for declaring his intention for President of Nigeria, called on Governor Nyesom Ezenwo Wike of Rivers State to follow suit.
However, Sokari said he desired a South-South autonomous nationwhere Wike would hold sway as President and with the likes of Tinubu as President of South-West Nigeria.
“What I am advocating is for six Presidents to emerge and each to preside over his zone. Each of them would rule Nigeria from his zone for two years and at the end of twelve years, the circle begins again”, he said.
“What it means is that there won’t be any election in the country for twelve years. All the governors would remain in their states for the period and Presidents would be on their own seat for twelve years”, he said.
Sokari who is believed to have influenced the 13% Oil Derivation to oil producing states of the country, decried the injustice of marginalization suffered by Niger Delta region of the country.
“We are producing oil and the whole Nigeria is enjoying the oil. If we have NNPC, we should also have ‘Cattle Producing Company’, ‘Cocoa Producing Company’, ‘Groundnut Producing Company’, ‘Coal Producing Company’, ‘Palmoil Producing Company’ and so on, to advance Nigeria economically.
Reminded that the clamour for Restructuring and True Federalism had become a sing-song that had fallen on deaf ears, the octogenarian freedom fighter warned that time has come for God to speak.
“It’s true we’ve been crying and they have refused to harken to our cry. Our cries have gone to God and He will give us a ‘yes’ answer. Restructuring must come”, he declared.
Rev. Sokari appealed to youths of the Niger Delta to remain calm and law abiding, and shun any monetary inducement to betray their people.
