Nigeria urgently needs overhaul, current system not working - Ex-Akwa Ibom governor

Former Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Obong Victor Attah, has said Nigeria needs overhauling for a system that would ensure justice, prosperity and accommodation to all component units.

The former Governor stated that Nigeria was founded on a solid foundation, but regretted that due to bad system of government, the country was yet to attain the great heights envisaged by its founding fathers.

Attah who stated this during a virtual lecture, titled; “Heal our land with love’’, to commemorate the 57th birthday anniversary of the Methodist Church Bishop, Dr. Sunday Onuoha, lamented that instead of generating resources, Nigeria is only interested in zoning positions and sharing resources.

Faulting the presidential system of government being practised by Nigeria, Attah insisted that the country would have been better with the parliamentary system of government.

He explained that the Presidential system was laced with many wrongs that have not allowed the country to advance properly both politically and economically and tasked the Nigerian leadership to find a system that will heal the country as there are too many injustices in Nigeria.

In his words; “Nigeria was founded on a solid foundation; we are now operating a system that is not good for the country. We borrowed the Presidential system from America and it is not working for us. What are we zoning for? What are we sharing? Nigeria needs overhaul. The country urgently needs a system that will ensure justice to all. The Nigerian leadership should find a system to heal the land; there are too many injustices in Nigeria.”

While thanking God for his life, Bishop Onuoha, who is the co-chair of the Inter Faith Dialogue Forum for Peace, said there are too many bloodshed in Nigeria, which has necessitated the needs for prayers for healing of the land.

He disclosed that the worst era of his life was at the age of three when the Nigerian civil war broke, adding that it is a memory that he cannot forget.

The cleric explained that watching young people die during the civil war inflicted pain and advised those drumming for war to read history.

“Those who are calling for war should read history; the worst area of my life was at the age of three when the Nigerian civil war broke. Watching people die inflicted. It is a memory I can’t forget. When people are drumming about war and crisis, it means that they don’t understand it. We are also speaking to the authorities for them to know that when somebody is hungry, that person can easily be angry. The land is crying, there is too much shedding of blood. Innocent blood is being shed. It looks like we have a vehicle without a driver. Lots of atrocities are going on in Nigeria. It is time when men of goodwill should rise so that we can salvage the land from destruction.”

He urged Nigerian leaders to always engage the people when there is a crisis, stressing that it is better to go to the negotiating table, disagree and agree at the end of the day than resorting to war.

Bishop Onuoha urged Nigerians to render prayers that will heal the land and live in peace, irrespective of their ethnic, religious inclinations.