Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose has lend his voice to those of
other Nigerians calling for the restructuring of the country, saying
it was strange that the All Progressives Congress (APC), which was at
the fore-front of the agitation for true federalism was now against
restructuring as the ruling party.
The governor, who hailed the position expressed last Thursday, by the
Southwest APC, said the party, must now go beyond playing to the
gallery and set machineries in motion to restructure the country.
In a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday by his Special Assistant
on Public Communications and New Media, Lere Olayinka, Governor Fayose
said “under the present APC government of President Mohammadu Buhari,
Nigeria is returning to full-blown unitary system of government.”
“It is on record that the APC said at a debate on ‘Addressing
the rising insecurity in Nigeria, what is the master plan?’ organised
by the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) on December 18,
2014, that it would ensure true federalism and ensure adequate
community policing through the establishment of state-controlled
police so as to curb the protracted security challenges in the
country.
“Sad enough, now that it is the ruling party, the APC is no longer
talking about true federalism, especially the state police that it
canvassed while in the opposition.”
Governor Fayose, who said States must be strengthened for the country
to develop, noted that; “Nigeria developed faster in the fifties and
sixties when it was practicing confederal system of government, with
the regions running its own affairs almost autonomously.
“A situation where there are mineral resources in a State and the
State cannot do anything about them without approval from the federal
government will not foster the development that we all yearn for.
“A situation where the federal government has turned itself into lord
and master over other federating units in the country, using federal
agencies to oppress even State governors is not acceptable.
“It was in this spirit that the immediate past Peoples Democratic
Party (PDP) government organized a National Conference in 2014 and
far-reaching decisions were made by eminent Nigerians during the
conference.
“Sad enough, we are now being told by our president that report of the
conference has been thrown into the dustbin of history. This is not
good enough, coming from a president, whose party promised
restructuring, including establishment of State Police.
“It will therefore serve the collective interest of Nigeria and its
people for the report of the 2014 National Conference to be considered
by President Buhari with a view to, once and for all resolve the
various national questions that are holding down the country.“
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