Afenifere decries FG’s alleged destructuring of Nigerian Federation

…calls on the government to show more than lips service to the actualisation of plans that are geared towards safety, equitable development, and freedom for all.

The pan-Nigerian sociopolitical group, Afenifere has raised alarmed over what it calls the rate and audacity at which the current administration is destructuring the basic structures upon which the Nigerian federation rests.

Afenifere made this known in a release to the press, signed by its leader HRH Oba Oladipo Olaitan and the National Publicity Secretary, Prince Justice Faloye, expressing concern over the steady destructuring of the federation’s foundations, the exacerbation of all dimensions of vulnerabilities and the stifling of democratic freedoms that have become the hallmarks of the time.

The statement read in parts; “As we navigate the complexities of our nation’s current state, Afenifere, deeply invested in the well-being of the Nigerian people, expresses profound disappointment and concern over the steady destructuring of our federation’s foundations, the exacerbation of all dimensions of vulnerabilities and the stifling of democratic freedoms that have become the hallmarks of the time.

“Instead of restructuring towards a prosperous egalitarian federation, the current government under President Tinubu is destructuring Nigeria with his autocratic attack on the fundamental pillars of democratic federalism. With the usurpation of the federating units, the judiciary and the legislative arm, the abuse of basic rights of freedom of speech and association, spiraling insecurity, and destruction of our economic fabric, and among other things, we can’t but wonder how much more can the federation take before imploding, and the wheels come off our manifest destiny.

“Freedom of speech, a basic tenet of democracy, has repeatedly been under attack. This suppression of democratic freedoms, most instantiated by the banning of the song, “Tell Your Papa” by Eedris Abdulkareem, a fair response to the atrocious claims made by Seyi Tinubu on the state of the nation. The ban signals a leadership tendency that is disconnected from citizens’ realities, essentially inclined to maintaining autocratic control than fostering a milieu of freedom and creativity. The ban destructs the principles of democracy, is evidence of the increasing disregard for dissenting voices in Nigeria, potentially silencing artists and stifling creativity and the progress we need to move forward as a society.

“The structure and viability of the Nigerian economy is being shattered by the ultraliberal polices of currency floating and subsidy removal, manifesting in rising inflation, unemployment, and increasingly eroding purchasing powers, continue to take their toll, as Nigerians struggle to make ends meet.

“The promise of economic prosperity and growth remains unfulfilled, marooning the majority of hapless citizens in a state of economic hardship. In the face of these unprecedentedly insufferable deprivation and traumatic experiences, it is sad that rather than offer succour, the government of the day is only further suffocating the democratic space and dismantling the channels for cathartic expressions-the only mechanisms available for common people as viable coping and resilience means.”

Afenifere also touched on security stating that as Nigerians continue to grapple with worsening quality of life, and struggling under the weight of poverty imposed by dissociative policies, dreadful human tragedies have increasingly become the signature of our national life. It noted that insecurity incidents, as contained in the recent report of HumAngle’s Conflict Tracker, have accounted for the death of 1,420 Nigerians, with over 537 reportedly kidnapped across the country in the first quarter of 2025.