Usman Yusuf, former executive secretary of the National
Health Insurance Scheme ( NHIS), has described restructuring as a “big
nonsense” which politicians plan to use to carve out their empires.
There have been calls and agitation for restructuring, which
will grant more powers to the regions.
Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 elections, anchored his campaign on
restructuring
But interview with The Sun, the former NHIS boss said rather
than adopt restructuring, the country needs a strong centre and a vibrant
leader.
He cited recent happenings at the Niger Delta Development
Commission (NDDC), saying it is a proof that restructuring would increase
corruption and injustice.
“All these talks about restructuring, confederation; do you
think they have impact in the life of the common man? It is just politicians
who want to carve their own empires,” he said.
“When we were growing up, there were only 12 states in the
federation, and then the minority tribes said it was the majority that was
oppressing them; then another minority oppressing the minority of the
minorities. All these divisions get us nowhere.
“Look at Niger Delta, look at what is happening in the NDDC,
money we never knew existed, trillions, billions of Naira to clean up their
land, build schools for their children, develop their area, was looted. There
has never been any agency, any ministry that has been allocated this so much
money.
“All these divisions- restructuring etc. are just nonsense,
it is your own people that will cheat you. We need a strong centre, a leader
that will shake things up; things are falling apart in this country… I tell people
that the ordinary person has more power than he realises.
“He has the power to change the leadership; we cannot always
wait and say, ‘because I don’t have money that is why I can’t do this or that’.
No, you do have what it takes to make a change. You don’t want this leader,
wait four years and be patient and get him out. That is what democracy is all
about. Rotation, rotation, and how many times have we rotated. All these
restructuring, rotation are big nonsense, not small nonsense.”
On insecurity in the country, Yusuf said soldiers should not
be relied upon to solve the challenge because they are just one part of the
solution.
The former NHIS ES asked governors to adopt local solutions
in tackling insecurity.
“Unless we address local problems, soldiers cannot solve
insecurity for us. Soldiers didn’t solve insecurity problem in Niger Delta,
soldiers will not solve Boko Haram problem, and they will not solve banditry
problem, soldiers are just one part of the solution,” he said.
“We have to involve everybody and make them understand why
you have this problem. The government understood why there was Niger Delta
agitation because there was inherent injustice; you were getting oil from
people and polluting their land.
“So, President Umaru Yar’Adua had to sit, understand and
listen. What is happening in the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) is a
shame, after all that the nation went through and Yar’Adua did, and yet, some
people are cheating their own people. So, insecurity cannot be solved by soldiers
coming from Abuja, it is a local problem; soldiers are just there to put off
the flame.”
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