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The debate about restructuring Nigeria has mainly been conducted in the media and in group-sponsored conferences. This book arguably marks the first time someone has documented the key points of the debate in a book form.
In Restructuring Nigeria: An Overview, Dr Bukar Usman responds to some of the crucial questions raised by many stakeholders. Although some of the topical issues are controversial, he manages to conduct discussion about them in a cool-headed and mature way. He identifies over 30 contentious questions, logically countering them one after the other.
The book has five chapters. Chapter 1 is on due process of constitutional amendment while Chapter 2 takes up the lingering issues about the integrity of the 1999 Constitution. Chapter 3, the book’s longest, is where the author logically marshals his tightly-structured arguments in response to some of the contributions to the restructuring debate. In Chapter 4, the author wakes up the historian in him to enlighten readers on how Nigeria’s erstwhile regions worked in the 1960s and why they may not work again in like manner. The last chapter passionately presents the case for ethical restructuring of the country, highlighting it as a necessary compliment, if not the foundation, to any other form of restructuring.
Unlike many other contributors to this debate, Dr Usman consciously avoids name-calling and the use of intemperate language. His consistent focus on the issues and his reliance on facts and logical reasoning to buttress his arguments are some of the qualities that make this work a worthy and interesting book to read.
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