Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, has called on the Federal Government to convoke a national dialogue “to enable Nigerians talk to one another on the way forward in tackling the issues threatening to wreck the nation’s ship.”
Speaking at an inter-denominational thanksgiving service to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the creation of the state, held at St. Peters Anglican Cathedral, Asaba, yesterday, Okowa said that the state of the nation required urgent but realistic approach that would ensure lasting solution to the various challenges threatening to tear the nation apart.
The governor said that the Federal Government should not pretend that all was well with the country as“there are too many voices of anger calling for justice, fairness and equity in the affairs of the nation,” while urging the government to take steps to listen to the voices without further delay.
He expressed dismay that the nation was still paying lip service to its status as a federal system, as too much power is still concentrated in the centre against the principles of true federalism.
He likened the nation to the human body with many parts, which needed to be healthy for the whole body to function properly, saying that it could not be well with the nation, “if it is not well with the component parts.”
He cautioned against building the nation for the elite and the rich while the poor masses were left in the lurch.
Okowa said, “The rich and the elite will not live peacefully in a country where there are many poor people.
“We are still in a nation where so much power rests at the centre, with the federal government, and I believe that it is not right and it is time for more powers to be devolved to the states and more money and resources given to the states.
“Nigeria will be better for it if we restructure, but the greatest challenge we have is as a result of insecurity and it is pushing many people more into the poverty line.
“As a country, we are troubled and there are so many ethno-religious crises but it’s time for us to sit down and talk, otherwise we may not be able to continue as a nation.
“In staying as a nation, we must find solutions to the voices of anger and we must dispassionately look for the opinion leaders in the different parts of Nigeria and speak truth to ourselves.”
