The Christian Association of Nigeria has
described as personal the position of its northern chairman, Yakubu
Pam, on the debate for the restructuring of the country.....
Pam, represented by Air Comr. Tanko Ato
(retd.), had at a two-day conference with the theme, ‘The North and
future of Nigerian Federation,’ organised in Kaduna by the Arewa
Research and Development Project, in collaboration with other northern organizations, said it did not matter whether Nigeria was restructured
or not.
“The North can stand. Our position on
the restructuring debate is that Nigeria is better and firmer together.
To us, it does not matter whether we restructure or not, what matters to
us is the united North and Nigeria where we respect each other’s faith
and freedom of worship,” he was quoted to have said.
But in an interview with The PUNCH
on Sunday in Jos, the Secretary of CAN (North-West zone), Sunday Oibe,
said Pam spoke for himself and not for Christians in the North, saying
the position of CAN on restructuring of Nigeria had not changed.
He said, “Nigerians, having been
forcefully married together by the colonial masters, without sitting the
people together to determine how the marriage will work, now feel
strongly that there must be a restructuring of this country so that
every state can develop at its own pace, and it is for the good of all.
So, that is the position of CAN.
“Whatever they say, Pam and his
representative spoke for themselves. I am the Secretary of CAN in
North-West geopolitical zone, which has seven states. Out of the six
geo-political zones, the North-West has the highest. I am led by my
chairman, Bishop David Bakare, a popular figure in this country. We have
never sat anywhere as CAN in the North to come out with that position.
We align ourselves with the position of the national CAN. And our
position is that Nigeria should be restructured.
“And let me tell you the benefits of
restructuring: if Nigeria is restructured today, the North can develop
at its own pace. With the vast land, they can create more opportunities
from agriculture, develop solar energy and have uninterrupted power
supply. If you go to the South-West, with the sophistication in
education, they can develop at their own pace and be able to bring the
world to them.”
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