North not scared of Nigeria restructuring--Ndume

In an interview with Vanguard, the Senate Majority Leader, Senator Muhammed Ndume, representing Borno Central Senatorial District, says the north was is not in any way afraid of any restructuring of the country, while also commenting on other national issues.

He said,”there is agitation everywhere across the country. Niger-Delt militants in the creeks are clamouring for the control of oil in their region. IPOB and MASSOB in the South-East are asking for independence.

 “ If there is a need to restructure, if there is a need to redefine our existence as a nation, it should be through dialogue. We came together through dialogue. When our colonial masters wanted to give us independence in 1957, northerners said ‘hold on, we are not ready yet, let us get our house in order’. So, the independence was not by force. All I am saying is that whatever we want to do to make changes, it should not be through violence but dialogue. It should not be through threat and all the negative means that we are seeing daily. We came together by mutual consent. Why must we separate through violence? It cannot work because we didn’t force ourselves on anybody. And so, I don’t think it is right to use derogatory words on one another.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/07/north-not-afraid-restructuring-ndume/

•Explains how Senate escaped budget padding crisis By Olalekan Bilesanmi Senate Majority Leader, Senator Muhammed Ndume, represents Borno Central Senatorial District. In this interview, Ndume speaks on claims on the padding of the 2011 budget by some leaders of the House of Representatives. He also speaks on the agitations in the Niger Delta and the South-East for restructuring and the fate of the North should that happen. There is agitation everywhere across the country. Niger-Delta militants in the creeks are clamouring for the control of oil in their region. IPOB and MASSOB in the South-East are asking for independence. Is it not high time we restructured this country? Sen. Ndume Sen. Ndume If there is a need to restructure, if there is a need to redefine our existence as a nation, it should be through dialogue. We came together through dialogue. When our colonial masters wanted to give us independence in 1957, northerners said ‘hold on, we are not ready yet, let us get our house in order’. So, the independence was not by force. All I am saying is that whatever we want to do to make changes, it should not be through violence but dialogue. It should not be through threat and all the negative means that we are seeing daily. We came together by mutual consent. Why must we separate through violence? It cannot work because we didn’t force ourselves on anybody. And so, I don’t think it is right to use derogatory words on one another.

Read more at: http://www.vanguardngr.com/2016/07/north-not-afraid-restructuring-ndume/