From Gyang Bere, Jos
Former presidential aspirant of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and ex- governor of Plateau State, Jonah David Jang has urged the Federal Government to provide the enabling environment for ethnic nationalities to debate on the imbalance on state creation and federal constituencies in the country.
He expressed the worry that the federal constituencies in the House of Representatives in Kano and Jigawa states were more than those in the entire South East zone and said until the country was restructured, the political imbalance in the country would continue.
Jang stated this this at a press conference in Jos where he said the solution to the ill feelings in the country was for President Muhammadu Buhari to pave the way for the restructuring of the country.
“If you look at the creation of states and local governments done by the military, it was the most lopsided thing they have done. If you look at the number of local governments in Kano and Jigawa states and then look at Bayelsa or if you want to look at the federal constituencies in Kano and Jigawa in the House of Representatives they are more than the entire federal constituencies in the South East.”
“ Look at Jos North with the highest voting population, you put them together with Bassa, another heavily populated local government, you combined them and give them one federal constituency. How can you have balancing in the debate in the House of Representatives;it is very clear that Nigeria need to be restructure. “We have to set the tune for the debate for the nation and I hope the government of today will allow Nigerians to debate restructuring and the imbalance in the constitution so that whatever legal way we can use to amend the constitution, if it means from article one to the end, let it be done.”
Jang lamented that most states in the Middle Belt where herdsmen attacks and other criminality started before the North East, have the North East Development Commission which takes care of their displaced persons and reconstruction of destroyed homes, whereas minorities in the Middle Belt are left on their own.
He said when the North Central was demanding for Middle Belt Development Commission, the process was thrown out, leaving the people homeless and helpless.
“Our people are today not in their homes, they are refugees in their states, nobody is talking about them, what is our future as a people. This is because they have more numbers, the take what the want and over rule what the want to over rule; what kind of a constitution do we have that allows such injustice?” he queried.