Lawan did not speak for Senate on restructuring

The Senator representing Oyo North District, Abdulfatai Buhari, has said that comments of the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan on the agitations for restructuring in certain parts of the country, were his personal opinion and not that of the Senate.

Lawan had on Thursday last week at the Presidential Villa, Abuja told journalists that the southern governors calling for restructuring should start the process from their various states instead of directing such agitations at the federal government.

But, Buhari, while fielding questions from journalists at a briefing purposely done to shed more lights on a motion raised against the killing of five innocent people by operatives of Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, in Iseyin, Oyo State, declared his support for restructuring but not for secession as being agitated for in some quarters.

He said: “The Senate President is entitled to his opinion anytime. I am entitled to my opinion discussing with my brother, what is my business with his comment and what is his own business with my comment. How can I be angry with another person’s comment?

“Even if he is the President of the Senate, he is entitled to his opinion. He did not say he was talking on behalf of the senate. He was accosted by journalists to make comments on some vital issues, and he did as an Individual not on behalf of the Senate.

“What he said to me is based on his own personal views and that was it. He said if you are talking of restructuring, let us start from you go and meet your local government chairmen, listen to the judiciary, House of Assembly etc.

“I must be honest with you, personally I don’t believe in secession, I believe in restructuring and I believe we should be able to talk.

“If we are talking of population we are not as populous as China or America even the Soviet Union that attempted a secession, up till now, they are still in crises.

“So, let us talk, let’s see what happened with the constitutional amendment committee, I am also a member. We are going to Lagos, 25th, 26th and 27th for we will listen even to people calling for secession. Submit your memoranda, let us meet there.

“The moment you agree to go separate ways, there will still be fight within the small segments but we can sit down and talk and agree to put things aright.”