Adebanjo speaking during the 95th birthday celebration of Reuben Fasoranti, former leader of Afenifere, said the spate of insecurity in the country, shows that the Buhari administration has failed Nigerians.

He said “I have told them that in a better and civilised country, he should have gone long ago. If he has self-respect, he should have gone because everything has to fall. What is he presiding over? Is it over corruption, security, education? Law and order have broken down in the country for the past three years. It is only because Nigerians are over-tolerance of despots; that is why he is still there. The younger generation has failed the country. The country was not as bad as this when we were demonstrating self-governance. They want the old men to fight their cause for them. Why should people like me be in the trenches at 93 and Baba Fasoranti at 95? Where are those in their 40s and 30s? When we were at their age, we were in the streets, in Lagos, London, everywhere. You are PDP in the morning, APC in the afternoon and SDP in the evening, and they say they are young; the youth should be ashamed of themselves.”

Babalola, who announced a donation of N50m for the confab, which he said was billed to hold soon at ABUAD hall and ABUAD Inn, said eminent Nigerians, including former Presidents and leading traditional rulers, would be attended to the confab to proffer solutions to the country’s problems.

He said, “The situation in Nigeria today is gruesome and all hands must be on the deck to save it from total collapse. I am proposing ABUAD as the venue of the summit because it is safe, has a Federal Ministry of Aviation-certified helipad, well equipped 400-bed multi-system hospital, among others.

Among personalities that Babalola said would be invited included the Sultan of Sokoto; Alhaji Saad Abubakar; Alaafin of Oyo; Oba Lamidi Adeyemi; Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi; Ewi of Ado Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adejugbe and Obi Of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe; Bishop David Oyedepo; Bishop Mathew Hassan Kukah; Pastor Enoch Adeboye; Gen. Theophilus Danjuma; Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Prof. Wole Soyinka; and Chief Ayo Adebanjo.

Reacting to the presidential spokesperson, Garba Shehu’s dismissal of calls for disintegration and insistence that Buhari won’t be bullied into “settling” secessionists in an interview on Arise TV on Wednesday, April 21, Adebanjo wondered why the presidential spokesperson will say the president is not interested in restructuring when the people have said it is what they want.

He said “It’s that sovereign national conference, which was attempted in 2014, that Buhari has refused to do — that is the cause of the problem. If he doesn’t do it, he wants to impose this military constitution on us. And that what’s causing people, who feel cheated, to say they want to get out of Nigeria. We’re saying this is what will keep us together, but you’re not attending to it and you’re not giving us alternatives. How can Garba Shehu say the president is not interested in anything when the people have said this what they want? He is not a democrat? Did he not claim to be a born-again democrat? All the things that we see and have been accusing APC and Buhari, in particular, that they have a hidden agenda. It’s Buhari that encourages secession. Those of us calling for restructuring are the people who want Nigeria to stay. They mention Igboho, they mention Nnamdi Kanu. These people represent the youths here because the suffering is much; the suffering is bad. And if they don’t restructure Nigeria, we’ll have more Igboho, we’ll have more Nnamdi Kanu. I don’t support secession and don’t oppose it.  Don’t buy the campaign of the people telling you that to restructure is to separate Nigeria. Buhari is not the man to come and tell me about a united Nigeria. I’ve been preaching a united Nigeria since Buhari was in primary school.”