True Federalism, panacea to Nigeria’s challenges -Akeredolu

The Governor of Ondo State, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu said on Saturday that the only way to resolve myriads of challenges facing Nigeria as a nation is the adoption of a true federal system of government.

He stated this at the commemoration of the 28th anniversary of the annulment of the June 12 Presidential Election won by Chief M.K.O. Abiola, held at the International Centre for Culture and Events, on Saturday.

Akeredolu believes that the challenges confronting the country were surmountable provided that everyone in the country was sincere in tackling and finding a lasting solution to the problem.

According to him, the size of the country and its diversity deserved not to have too much power centred at the Federal Government.

According to him, “It is incongruous to have just a police command in a federal state such as Nigeria. The sheer size of the population, coupled with our diversity, makes this arrangement problematic. Every federating unit should have its own police for effective security.

“Local government administration is the closest to the people and it is, ironically, the most withdrawn from the people it is created to serve. The Federal Government should have no control, whatsoever, over how a local government is run in a state of the federation. Local government cannot be autonomous, absolutely, within a state. Let every state determine the number of local governments it wishes to have for effective administration.

“The civil service must respond to the current realities for relevance. Let the extent of wealth creation form the basis of establishing local administrations. It does not make any economic sense to create as many local governments as the politics of revenue sharing will permit.

“Governors must be Chief Executive Officers answerable only to the people indeed. The law must empower them to harness the resources in their respective states for the benefit of those who voted for them. They must not be subjected to any external control as equal partners in a federation unless when it is absolutely necessary.

“They must be able to mobilise the people for socio-economic activities with minimal interference from the government at the centre. This will enhance their ability to protect their people from rampaging marauders and other criminals who wreck their peace in perpetuity.”

He regretted that the people looked forward to a better Nigeria where every citizen would be proud, by voting for Abiola in 1993, but the hope was dashed by the military.

“We have been trying to rekindle the light of realistic expectations since 1999. The political journey proceeds in fits and starts. The ride has been bumpy, creating doubts and suspicion on the genuineness of intentions,” he stressed.