The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has said that northern governors and the North in general have bought into his idea of restructuring unlike in the past when they were opposed to it.
Atiku said restructuring simply meant giving states more powers and responsibilities while also executing individual programmes in their respective states.
The presidential candidate made the remarks when he featured as a guest of the Arewa Joint Committee interactive sessions alongside other presidential candidates on Saturday, in Kaduna.
The former vice-president stated that part of his government’s agenda was to drive revenue and taxation, thereby moving away from an oil-based economy by making agriculture a top priority through giving the North the desired support.
He stated, “In 2004 when I started advocating restructuring, I had a very strong opposition from the North; today, the northern governors themselves and the northern people have bought into restructuring.
“This means giving states more powers and responsibilities to own their funding to execute their own individual programmes in their respective states. It does not mean that you are going to get less from what you are going to get. But it simply means more responsibilities as far as governance is concerned.
“So, what can we do to make sure that we wean ourselves from dependence on oil? Agriculture is one top priority I intend to make sure the North receives the greatest support so that we can reinvent our agriculture.”