Nigerian Advocacy group, the Movement for National Reformation (MNR) has declared a 100-day posthumous celebration of late Nigeria’s Nationalist, former Minister of Information and human rights activist, Chief Anthony Enahoro’s centenary birthday and called for an urgent political restructuring of the country.
This year marks the centenary posthumous birthday of Chief Anthony Enahoro, CFR, CON, the man who first moved the motion for Nigeria’s independence from Britain. Chief Enahoro died on the December 10th, 2010 at the age of 87 years.
He spent the later two decades of his life advocating for the political restructuring of Nigeria to address the unbalanced ethnic nationality question in Nigeria’s political space and save Nigeria’s diverse ethnic nationality groups from internal colonialism and domination.
He believed that this was the way forward for a more balanced, equitable and socially just Nigerian state with the capacity to propel our country forward in development amidst peaceful coexistence amongst Nigeria’s diverse ethnic nationalities.
The Movement for National Reformation (MNR) in a statement signed by Chief C. O Adebayo, National Chairman; HRH Sam Onimisi, National Vice Chairman and Dr Philip Idaewor, National Secretary, disclosed that 100 days from December 10 2023 until March 2024 had been dedicated to celebrating the memory of this quintessential pan Nigerian nationalist and to sustain the legacies of the organization’s founding Chairman.
According to the statement, “MNR is advocating for positive and practical steps to as a matter of urgency recognize the need to restructure Nigeria by setting up a constitutional review conference. We call on Nigerian political Leadership across all the ethnic nationality groups to join forces with the Movement for national Reformation (MNR) in our quest to encourage President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to invoke all necessary instrument of state to revisit the issue of Ethnic Nationalities and Restructuring Nigeria.
“To commemorate the centenary anniversary of Chief Anthony Enahoro who passed on December 15th 2010, the MNR propose to launch a ‘Time for Action’ campaign with the unveiling of various activities and projects to draw attention to the urgency for the need to restructure the present political map of Nigeria. We therefore appeal to political leaders from across the six geopolitical zones to put future and interest their peoples at the front burner of their engagements.
“MNR believes that True federalism can provide a robust framework for meeting the demands of a multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multilingual, highly populated, and geographically huge nation like Nigeria.
“We recognize the numerous attempts by both the military and civilian governments in the past to fashion a more equitable and balanced union, the last being the last being the National Conference convoked by former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan in 2014, which produced far reaching recommendations for start to Nigeria’s journey towards nationhood.
“As we celebrate the Centenary Anniversary of the late sage whose life theme was the just and respectable status for Nigeria’s ethnic Nationalities, we state the obvious: that the present Nigerian political arrangement is burdensome, unjust and holds the latent potential of Nigeria captive to a domineering over lordship to the majority of the ethnic nationalities constituting the Federation.
“The task of restructuring has become more difficult with past administrations in the country because of the lack of the political will to do so. Despite many constitutional conferences convened in the past to address the lapses in Nigeria’s constitutional foundation, there has never been a concrete and conclusive achievement in terms of advancing the tenets of federalism in the country.
“MNR calls on President Bola Tinubu who was in the trenches and fought alongside other democrats, including the Chief Anthony Enahoro, who was the Chairman of NADECO, to see Nigeria becomes a fully democratized country, to act on this urgent need of the hour for the good of Nigeria.
“The ‘Time for Action’ is now, and our campaign is to reawaken the Restructuring advocacy and we call on all Nigerians at home and in diaspora to act now, support the government of the day to ensure that Nigeria’s arrested progress toward nationhood, peace and unhindered development is finally unleashed for our common good.”
