By John Oghojafor
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has rejected the call for restructuring which has rented the air, but instead called for a change of mindset and mentality among Nigerians as the only panacea to the nation’s sundry problems.
Obasanjo said this on Friday when he paid a courtesy call on Ogiame Ikenwoli, the Olu of Warri, in Delta state.
The elder statesman was in the state to inspect facilities of Lee Engineering and Construction Company in Ekpan, Uvwie local government area of Delta.
He disagreed with those calling for the restructuring, arguing that the current problems would continue in a restructured country associated with impunity and bad governance.
“Will any person in his right senses believe that the way out of our problems in Nigeria is separation?” he asked.
“We have many problems if we can talk about them, and we must talk about them. We must find solution to them.
“The answer to most of our problems is mindset change and change of mentally. If we need any restructuring, it is the restructuring of our mindset and mentality. How will anybody in his right senses believe separation is the way out?
“It is our diversity that makes us a great country. I won’t want a Nigeria where we dance same juju or wear same attire. Our strength is in our diversity.”
Obasanjo said those seeking to create a sovereign state do not know what war is all about.
Reminiscing about the civil war, Obasanjo prayed that the country should not have such bitter experience again.
“I participated in the civil war and I said may I never have to participate in any civil war again in my life,” he said.
“It was gruesome. It was destructive. It was deadly. This is most especially for those who are clamouring, of which I don’t even know what they are clamouring, they don’t know what war means.
“Dismemberment of Nigeria is not good enough. Harmony and cohesion in Nigeria is what we should substitute for dismemberment. Inequity, injustice or unfairness are not good enough, we should substitute them with equity, fairness, good government and lack of impunity.
“Some progress is being made in spite of our difficulties and problems, we need to make greater progress than we have made before. If we do that we’ll have good governance, there’ll be no impunity, everybody will have a sense of belonging and a stake in this project called Nigeria.”
Obasanjo also urged government at all levels and Nigerians to encourage local entrepreneurs to grow the economy. He gave the advise while inspecting the ongoing facilities of Lee Engineering and Construction Company in Ekpan, Uvwie Local Government Area of Delta.
The former president, who expressed satisfaction at the oil and gas facilities, said the initiative would help to check over dependence on foreigners to work in the oil and gas sector. He noted that the fortune of the International Oil Companies (IOC) was diminishing unlike when he was president and wondered what would happen to the young graduates in the oil and gas if the local content was not pursue vigorously. “I initiated the policy of Local Content to get as much as possible local fabrications to develop our oil and gas sector and I am happy that Lee Engineering has key into the policy and is doing so well.
”One thing is to create an opportunity, another thing is to get people that will understand and grab the opportunity and make the policy a success.
“Those who have the courage, vision and understanding that we cannot be a developed country unless we invest in our own country must be encouraged.
”When we started the policy we were expecting indigenous Nigerians, who will take advantages of it and establish facilities like this. What I see today is a cutting-edge of technology, welding, building fabrication,” he said.
Earlier, the Chairman, of Lee Engineering Construction Construction, Leemon Ikpea said the company was 100 per cent Nigeria company in oil and gas, adding that it was now 26 years old. He said the aim was to provide among other things, employment and also reduce huge cost in importation of foreign materials. “We observed that most of the facilities used by the IOCs are imported so we decided to build our local capacity,” he said. The Acting governor of Delta, Mr Kingsley Otuaro commended the company for the good job
