Prof. Kamal Bello, Dean, Faculty of Social Sciences, National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) has urged Nigerians to look beyond restructuring and channel their efforts towards behavioural and attitudinal change.
Bello spoke as a Lead Discussant, at the first Dialogue Series of the Faculty of Social Sciences, NOUN, at the weekend in Abuja.
The programme had the topic “Nigeria: To be Restructured or Not to be Restructured”.
The don said that for Nigeria to be great, everyone must contribute to its success.
He described restructuring as a cumbersome process that needed to be conceptualised in the Nigerian context as to what needed to be restructured.
“The word restructuring is not new. Nigeria must understand the concentration of the country’s resources before true restructuring can take place.
“People look at the contemporary things in restructuring; people are seeking true federalism.
“Nigeria must know the concentration of her resources before it can be restructured. Most of Nigeria’s problems are how to share the cake, but not how to bake it.
“What should be on every Nigerian’s mind should be the question of how to bridge the gap between the rich and the less endowed and not the question of creation of more states or local government.
“It is our mindset that needs to be restructured, not the structure itself. Nigeria’s problem starts on an individual level. We should shun discrimination,” he said.
Bello added that at this critical time, the question shouldn’t be about whether to restructure or not to restructure but to shun nepotism, corruption, and ethnicity.
“We need to look at Nigeria as a nation that everyone must contribute to its success. The teachers and the lecturers should be role models,” he said.
The dean thanked the university management for making the dialogue possible.
He also thanked the Standing Committee on Seminar, Conference, and Public Lecture under the chairmanship of Dr Adeola Adams for ensuring that the dialogue was a success.
Speaking, Prof. Hussaini Tukur of the Nasarawa State University, Keffi, said the legal framework should be taken into cognisance before the question of why restructuring and for whom.
“The legal issues surrounding restructuring should be considered.
“When you understand the purpose and the legal entity of restructuring you will realise the issues involved as there are several guidelines to restructuring,” Tukur said.
In his remarks, the NOUN Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Olufemi Peters, noted that the dialogue was novel and innovative.
He said that the topic was apt due to the recurring nature of the debate.
Represented by the Deputy Vice-Chancellor Administration, Prof. Isaac Butswat, the VC said that the Faculty organised the dialogue to make an input.
He said it was also to decide on which way Nigeria as a country should go on the issue of restructuring.
The VC, however, expressed optimism in the crop of discussants drawn from various higher institutions of learning across the six geopolitical zones of the nation.
He urged the participants to pay attention to the discussants for a better and more useful understanding of the dialogue.
