By Onwudiachi Anwuli Joy
The governors of 19 northern states said, yesterday, that the region was not opposed to the restructuring of the country, contrary to widely held views by some persons and groups. In an address at a meeting of the 19 northern states governors and traditional rulers in Kaduna, Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum and Governor of Borno State, Ibrahim Shettima, said any restructuring should be done within acceptable criteria and must be fair to all component parts of the country. He said a final decision on the position of the north would be taken today when governors of the 19 northern states meet in Kaduna. From left: Governors, Tanko Al-Makura of Nassarawa State; Gov. Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State; Gov. Aminu Masari of Katsina State; and Gov. Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, at the meeting between the Northern Governors and Traditional Rulers in Kaduna State on Thursday He said: “It is also my expectation that at the end of this meeting today (yesterday) and, God willing, tomorrow’s (today) meeting of the governors, the forum and our esteemed royal fathers will adopt a consensus position on restructuring of the country that will be reflective of the general overall interest of the people of Northern Nigeria and which will attract popular acceptance. “It is of vital importance to arrive at such consensus position because it is crucial to dispel the erroneous impression created and disseminated by certain interests in this country that the North is opposed to restructuring. “Secondly, it is important to do so not only to accommodate the mainstream of Northern public opinion, our primary constituency, but to also counter the specific versions of restructuring, which generally seek to place the North in a position of strategic political and economic disadvantage, but portrayed as the only versions that can work for the nation. “Without pre-empting the outcome of our interactions over the next two days, however, permit me Your Excellencies and Your Royal Highnesses, to embark on a short reflection on the matter before hand. Agreed that being citizens of a democratic country, Nigerians are entitled to exercise their constitutionally guaranteed freedom of speech and association, and the clamour for the restructuring of the country falls within the purview of these freedoms. However, the exercise of such rights outside the confines of responsibility is not acceptable
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