Don Pedro Obaseki

Jethro Ibileke/Benin

As agitations for the restructuring of the nation gathers more voices of support, a social-political group, The Midwest Movement, has called for “a structural deconstruction of the Nigerian federation as presently constituted, to be reconstructed.

Convener of the Movement, Dr. Don Pedro Obaseki, in an eight-point demand during a press briefing held in Benin, Edo State, said the group is deeply concerned about the situation in the country, noting that “the federation of Nigeria is in dire straits.”

He said the present day Nigeria is not what their forefathers fought against British imperialism and eagerly hoped for.

He said that the movement cannot afford to sit back and and hope, as usual that negative passions of ethnic jingoists will blow away or that the convenient dismissive stance of apparent gainers of the situation will resolve the current impasse.

Obaseki insisted that the country must revert to the 1963 Constitution which he said was an agreed template, warning those who are trying to redraw the map and include Midwest in their agitation to stop it.

Amongst other things, the Movement demanded that:

“That government and representatives of the people in parliament should consciously heed the voices of reason who have called for a re-federalization of the country, using all available constitutional means while factoring the interests and aspiration of all ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.

“That government and its officials should refrain from and resist the temptation of casting all those calling for peaceful resolution of the current political impact, as mere appointment seekers.

“The government should as a matter of urgency, broading its consultation and engagement with stakeholders of all ethnic nationalities, with a view to working out modalities to ease the current avoidable tension in the country.”

The Movement however sounded a bit of warning that should the government continues to play ostrich to the current agitation, the Midwest territorial area shall resist all any attempt to annex, attach or consecript it as part of the area of any of its near of far neighbors.

“That if the federation of Nigeria fails to hold under the weight of government’s inability to play its constitutional role and because of of the reckless actions of ethnic jingoists, the Midwest Territorial Area…shall employ, embrace and adopt every available international instruments, conventions and protocols to take it’s destiny in its own hands as a Stand Alone Territory to be called Bendel Republic or any such name or appellation our people so choose to adopt.”

Meanwhile, a 25-man Management Committee made up of politicians and professionals from different fields, chaired by Dr. Obaseki, has been constituted to see to the actualisation of their demands.

Representatives from other parts of the Region, namely, Urhobo, Isoko, Ijaw and Itsekiri, to delivered goodwill messages.