The pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has said that recent statement by some Northern leaders that the North was ready for restructuring was pretentious and smirked of insincerity.

It said conditions given by the Northern leaders for restructuring were not acceptable to right-thinking people of the South.

Organising Secretary of Afenifere Chief Kole Omololu, who spoke in a statement, noted that the South always insisted on restructuring and establishment of state police, regional armies, regional customs and immigration.

Omololu stated that Northern leaders’ communique was silent on issues of kidnapping, brigandage, forceful occupation of farmlands and destruction of communities in the southern parts of the country.

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He said the communique issued by the Northern leaders pretended to advocate one united, just and equitable nation.

The statement reads: “The North has the right to state the conditions under which it will continue to stay in Nigeria. The South has the right to state its own terms.

“It must be reiterated that no useful purpose is served when stakeholders issue threats or arrogate to themselves power to determine who occupies the highest position in the land or not.

“Would the Northern people’s summit expound on equitable representation of the South in the headship of the country’s security, intelligence, paramilitary and other national institutions?

“We notice the threats against southerners in the North. We in the South are not helpless as we were in 1966. The North may find that it is weaker in 2021, than it was in 1966.

“The time has come for an all-inclusive national dialogue of all stakeholders and nationalities.

We should not be inhibited by past failures and half-measures. A clean state presents itself. Let us put our imprint on it. Eminent and detribalised personalities across the country should seize the initiative to bring all parties to a dialogue.”