Abuja — The president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Nigeria (CBCN), Ignatius Kaigama friday differed with President Muhammadu Buhari over his national broadcast stance that restructuring was not important and that process of governance was more imperative.

Kaigama, who is also the Archbishop of Jos, told THISDAY that the position of the President runs contrary to the general public opinion on restructuring.

The bishop expressed concern with the President’s position in the nationwide broadcast on New Year day, where he stated in the broadcast that his “firm view is that our problems are more to do with process than structure.”

The clergyman rather maintained that given the precarious situation in which Nigeria has now found herself, re-examining the workability of existing structures has become imminent if the country is to develop.

Kaigama explained that since most of those clamouring for restructuring are not calling for the separation of the country, there is every need to support restructuring of the country.

The CBCN President held that if the debate on restructuring must be sustained, “we must proceed from a premise that is very clear.”

Kaigama contended that he has often “been against multiplying countries out of Nigeria, as it won’t bring any good to us.

“But if having restructuring means to re-examine how things are done in the country in terms of allocation of resources, appointments in national offices, appointments that should be spread not just limited to a particular zone, if restructuring means justice, then, we should all go for it.”

He added that “if restructuring means spending less on governance, then, there is every need to re-examine the structures. If restructuring means reducing drastically the cost of governance, then, there is no option than to embrace restructuring if we really meant well for Nigeria.”

He argued that it is incumbent on the leadership to be open to divergent opinion on the restructuring debate, in so far as the unity of Nigeria is not put at stake.

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Nigeria: Catholic Bishops’ President, Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama Differs With Buhari On Restructuring