The leader of Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-cultural group, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, as well as other eminent leaders of thought in Nigeria have renewed the call for the restructuring of the country to achieve a true federal structure.
This call was contained in the messages of goodwill delivered at the presentation of the book entitled ‘Brutally Frank,’ an autobiography of the foremost Ijaw leader and national statesman, Chief E.K Clark, at Muson Centre, Onikan, Lagos.
Adebanjo, who was the Father of the Day, while speaking at the event declared that ‘until we change this constitution, we will go nowhere.’
His words: ‘I came closer to Clark at the 2014 national conference. We were in the same row of old people. You could see knowledge, experience, and patriotism in the contribution of these old people. I want to advise those of you who are younger not to play with the report of the 2014 national conference. Whether you like it or not, that conference will go down in history as the best thing former President Goodluck Jonathan did for this country. And I say it publicly again without any fear of contradiction that you can never get the kind of composition that was recorded in that conference again in Nigeria. It cuts across every segment of the country. And we were lucky to have a chairman who managed delicate issues effectively.
“The job for us in this country today is to insist that right now, the constitution of the country must be changed to a federal constitution in accordance with the report of the 2014 National Conference. Take that report, take El-Rufai’s report, set up a committee to reconcile them, and go where we are going. Any other thing is pretence.
“When you talk about the unity of this country, the economic progress of this country, until we change this constitution, we will go nowhere.”
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He described Clark as a true nationalist and a personality to behold. “He is a nationalist, a patriot, and a committed man to a united Nigeria. Clark is not a converted nationalist. When you read the book, you will know that nationalism and patriotism is inborn. When you go through the book, you will see how Nigeria was until we got to this stage. It is a compendium of what Nigeria was and what we wish it to be.
Prof Anya O. Anya also added his voice, saying the implementation of the 2014 confab was the only sure way to achieve the desired restructuring of the country and true federalism.
He said: “I came across Edwin Clark at the 2014 national conference and that was when I discovered that you cannot describe him in one or two sentences because the man is multi-dimensional. But one thing you cannot take away from him is the fact he loves this country.
“I am confident that one day, the report of the national conference will be fully implemented. And the reason is simple. There were over 600 decisions and every single one enjoyed the support of more than 70 per cent of those attending. Would you really think that it was possible to have Nigerians gathered as we were gathered and all decisions enjoyed 70 per cent support? You wouldn’t have thought it was possible but it happened. That is why I believe that ultimately, we will find our way back.
He expressed optimism that Nigeria would fulfill its destiny among the comity of nations. “Let me say this to the young generation. Do not lose confidence in Nigeria. Nigeria is a great country. Nigeria is a destined country. It will get to the point where, as some of my spiritual advisers tell me, Nigeria will be celebrated for righteousness. This period we are seeing now is not Nigeria. When I tell some of the younger people about my experience in Nigeria, they don’t believe that the Nigeria that I was describing that I had lived existed. But it exists and because it did exist.”
Prof Bolaji Akinyemi “noted that the success attributed to the 2014 national conference was a result of Clark’s uncommon leadership prowess. He made sure that there was no walkout throughout the duration of the conference.”
The Chairman of the occasion, Senator Anthony Adefuye, reiterating the same call for restructuring, noted that Chief Edwin Clark was the brain behind the 2014 national conference that brought Nigerians together to forge national unity.
“Chief Edwin Clark was the brain behind the 2014 national conference that brought Nigerians together so that we can be one. And we all sat down at that national conference and arrived at certain decisions.
“If those decisions had been adopted, Nigeria would not be where it is today. When we started, his intention was to put the whole south together and he performed very well in putting us together. Nobody has done as much as he has done in that regard. I stand to say so.
“At 96, he is still working; that is Chief Edwin Clark for you. If you go to his house any time of the day, you are welcome. He is a man Nigeria will not forget very quickly,” Adefuye said.
Clark, who joined the event via Zoom, after appreciating the guests for honouring him, said he would always cherish a Nigeria where everybody is equal. “We want a structuring of this country. Without restructuring, there can be no Nigeria. Everybody in Nigeria today believes that restructuring is all that we need. Even those who were hesitating have now realised that they will do better if they are in their own states with more powers, moving at their own pace,” he stated.
Explaining how he came up with the title of the book, he said: “When I was 90, one of the messages I received was from my boss, Gen. Yakubu Gowon (rtd). I was the Minister of Information in his government. In that congratulatory letter, Gowon said that I speak my mind on any subject and concluded that I am brutally frank. So, I took the title of my book from that message.”
The Chairman of the Book Presentation Committee, Lagos, Prof. Hope Eghagha, extolled Clark for his contributions to nation building, adding that the book, Brutally Frank, is brutally frank about politics and governance in Nigeria. He urged those who are interested in getting the details of the issues discussed in the book to get a copy for themselves.
The Special Guest of Honour, Prof Wole Soyinka, presented by Zenzil Kentebe, welcomed Clark into the literary arena. “It is with great personal disappointment that I finally concede my inability to join you at this event. The CLARK family and I, as you know, are linked on several levels, and it would have given me great pleasure to deputize for my late colleague and brother, JP Clark, in welcoming the Patriarch himself on this belated entry into the literary ranks.
“Even without the ferocious promise of the title, I know that this will be one book launch the nation will not forget in a hurry. I cannot wait to read how he tackles some of the history of a society along whose fault lines we have occasionally interacted, directly and indirectly, but of course the nation has been treated to more than a rich foretaste in the past years. A warm welcome nonetheless, on your formal entry, dear Chief, Senator, and Elder Gadfly, to the literary arena,” he said.
Dignitaries at the event included former deputy governor of Lagos State, Bucknor Akerele, Philiph Asiodu, and former minister of foreign affairs, Ajumogobia, among others.