By Our correspondent

Ekiti State Governor, Mr Ayodele Fayose has lend his voice to those of  other Nigerians calling for the restructuring of the country.

Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayodele Fayose.

He said it was strange that the All Progressives Congress (APC), which was at  the fore-front of the agitation for true federalism was now against  restructuring as the ruling party.

The governor, who hailed the position expressed last Thursday, by the Southwest APC, said the party, must now go beyond playing to the  gallery and set machineries in motion to restructure the country.

In a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday by his Special Assistant  on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose  said “under the present APC government of President Mohammadu Buhari,  Nigeria is returning to full-blown unitary system of government.”

He said; “It is on record that the APC said at a debate on ‘Addressing  the rising insecurity in Nigeria, what is the master plan?’ organised  by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) on December 18,  2014, that it would ensure true federalism and ensure adequate  community policing through the establishment of state-controlled  police so as to curb the protracted security challenges in the  country.

“Sad enough, now that it is the ruling party, the APC is no longer  talking about true federalism, especially the state police that it  canvassed while in the opposition.”

Governor Fayose, who said States must be strengthened for the country  to develop, noted that; “Nigeria developed faster in the fifties and .sixties when it was practicing confederal system of government, with  the regions running its own affairs almost autonomously.

“A situation where there are mineral resources in a State and the .State cannot do anything about them without approval from the federal  government will not foster the development that we all yearn for.

“A situation where the federal government has turned itself into lord  and master over other federating units in the country, using federal  agencies to oppress even State governors is not acceptable.

“It was in this spirit that the immediate past Peoples Democratic  Party (PDP) government organized a National Conference in 2014 and  far-reaching decisions were made by eminent Nigerians during the  conference.

“Sad enough, we are now being told by our president that report of the  conference has been thrown into the dustbin of history. This is not  good enough, coming from a president, whose party promised  restructuring, including establishment of State Police.

“It will therefore serve the collective interest of Nigeria and its  people for the report of the 2014 National Conference to be considered  by President Buhari with a view to, once and for all resolve the  various national questions that are holding down the country.“