The House of Representatives has debunked the news making rounds in the media that the Speaker of the House of Representatives is against the Southern Governors’ call for Restructuring.
In a Statement made by the Spokesperson of the House, Rep. Benjamin Kalu, he described the news as false allegations and misleading to the general public adding the speaker never implied such in his interview. He provided the accurate replication of what the Speaker had said in his interview:
“This is not a time for name-calling or blaming one person or the other. If truth be told, we all have equal shares in the blame and whatever challenges we have, we all must come together. In the same way we all have equal shares, we must all come together to make sure that we resolve whatever issues there are. Like I said earlier, the greatest nations have gone through challenges worse than this and I believe that it is that spirit of oneness and that spirit of togetherness and unity and love that will take us through this. You know sometimes there are many things that people have said here and there and you never know where these things are coming from. Sometimes God even puts you through challenges so that you can come out of it stronger, bigger, better, bolder. That’s what I believe is gonna happen to Nigeria. We’re all put together in this one geographical space for a reason. It wasn’t by happenstance or coincidence or by chance. It was ordained by Almighty God and He doesn’t make mistakes, He doesn’t go wrong. What He decrees is what will be and I believe He put us all together. No matter your religion, no matter your ethnicity, talking about over 250 ethnic groups in one country, it is that diversity that God had foreseen that I believe we should tap into as Nigerians. I have belief in the Nigerian resilience and in the Nigerian spirit; and in the spirit of Ramadan, we must continue to pray.”
Furthermore, He recalled that from the beginning of the 9th Assembly, The House under the leadership of Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila has always reiterated its support to a review of the 1999 Constitution which is evidenced in the composition of the Constitutional Review of the House. He mentioned that the House is yet to take a stand in this issue and this would be determined in the process of constitutional amendment.
The Spokesperson cautioned the media to be mindful of spreading false news that mislead the public as this is harmful to the Nation’s democracy. In agreement to what the Speaker had said, he reiterated that this is not a time for us to apportion blames rather this is a time to come together to deliberate on issues that have birthed our problems and find suitable solutions to it.
He urged Nigerians to disregard this news and keep praying for a peaceful Nigeria.
MAY 14, 2021
PRESS RELEASE
The Speaker did not say He is opposed to the Southern Governors’ call for restructuring.
The attention of the House has been drawn to several publications on online and traditional media claiming that the Speaker, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, is opposed to the Southern Governors’ call for restructuring. The House gathers that this allegation was attributed to statements made by the Speaker at a recent interview seeking his opinion on the issue. The House states clearly and unequivocally that the publications are false and misleading.
For the avoidance of doubt, below is an accurate reproduction of the statements made by the Speaker at that interview;
“This is not a time for name-calling or blaming one person or the other. If truth be told, we all have equal shares in the blame and whatever challenges we have, we all must come together. In the same way we all have equal shares, we must all come together to make sure that we resolve whatever issues there are. Like I said earlier, the greatest nations have gone through challenges worse than this and I believe that it is that spirit of oneness and that spirit of togetherness and unity and love that will take us through this. You know sometimes there are many things that people have said here and there and you never know where these things are coming from. Sometimes God even puts you through challenges so that you can come out of it stronger, bigger, better, bolder. That’s what I believe is gonna happen to Nigeria. We’re all put together in this one geographical space for a reason. It wasn’t by happenstance or coincidence or by chance. It was ordained by Almighty God and He doesn’t make mistakes, He doesn’t go wrong. What He decrees is what will be and I believe He put us all together. No matter your religion, no matter your ethnicity, talking about over 250 ethnic groups in one country, it is that diversity that God had foreseen that I believe we should tap into as Nigerians. I have belief in the Nigerian resilience and in the Nigerian spirit; and in the spirit of Ramadan, we must continue to pray.”
It is clear to objective reason that nothing in the above statement opposes the Southern Governors’ call for restructuring. Indeed, from the beginning of the 9th Assembly, the House under the leadership of Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila has reiterated its commitment to a thorough review of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria as can be seen by the composition and activities of the Constitutional Review Committee of the House. The House is also yet to take a stand on this issue which will be determined in the process of constitutional amendment.
The media is hereby cautioned to be mindful of peddling false news in the bid to misinform the general public. This is misleading and detrimental to our democracy as a nation. Like the Speaker rightly said, this is not a time to apportion blames rather this is a time for us to come together and deliberate on issues that have birthed the problem we are facing as a nation and to find a suitable solution to it.
The House urges Nigerians to disregard this news and continue to pray for a peaceful Nigeria.
Signed,
Rep. Benjamin Okezie Kalu
Spokesperson,
House of Representatives
