The Foundation for Peace Professionals (PeacePro) has called upon the federal government to consider renaming the country’s six geo-political zones in alignment with historical memory.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶
The organization believes that renaming the geo-political zones would help address some of the core issues exploited by non-state actors to garner public support in their pursuit of regional solidarity.
In a statement issued by its Executive Director, Mr. Abdulrazaq Hamzat, the group asserted that the current nomenclature of Nigeria’s geo-political zones, identified as North-West, South-West, North-East, South-East, North-Central, and South-South, “lacks political significance.” Hence, adopting a more politically conscious approach is essential to bridging the gap of regional unrest….CONTINUE READING
PeacePro urged the federal government to consider renaming the six zones to better reflect the desires and aspirations of the people.
“People from various regions of Nigeria associate themselves with specific names and descriptions. Avoiding or dismissing these political identities may lead individuals to feel a stronger entitlement to those identities,” noted PeacePro.
The organization emphasized that non-state actors often invoke these identities, to which people have strong affinities, as rallying points for mobilizing support.
By officially adopting these names, the federal government could potentially diminish their use by such actors for divisive purposes.
PeacePro’s recommendations for the renamed geo-political zones include Oduduwa Region for the South-West, Arewa Region for the North-West, Biafra Region for the South-East, Kanem Borno Region for the North-East, Niger Delta Region for the South-South, and Middle Belt Region for the North-Central.
Mr. Hamzat explained, “The renaming of these regions holds political implications because non-state actors frequently exploit these names as focal points to sow division among the people as part of their efforts to mobilize support for their activities.
Officially adopting these names would naturally disassociate them from existing historical concepts used to manipulate unsuspecting members of the public for divisive purposes.”
