Amid growing challenges of militancy and agitations rocking the country, Lagos State Governor Akinwunmi Ambode yesterday called for Nigeria’s restructuring in order to ensure a true federalism.
In a keynote address to mark the 23rd anniversary of June 12, Ambode, who was represented by Secretary to State Government Tunji Bello, affirmed that the day must be honoured, especially as the country is now enjoying democratic rule.
The day marked the freest and fairest presidential election held in 1993, believed to have been won by the late business mogul, Moshod Abiola.
He spoke on the theme,” Inclusiveness: Basis For Good Governance,” at a forum.
According to him, “What we owe Nigeria today is nothing but true federalism and for us to be able to achieve true federalism, we have to work hard for it,” he said.
“We still have a long way to go. If you want to live by Abiola’s memory, if you want to honour him, we owe him a duty to ensure that we install a viable democracy,” he said.
According to him, “That viable democracy can only be installed if we have true federalism, which we are presently not practicing.”
According to Ambode, “Lagos as it is today, has everything to stand on its own. We run the police, we have the most viable infrastructure in the whole country, yet we are not given what we deserve.”
The governor reiterated that if we run true federalism, we would not be having 37 Local Council Development Areas and 20 Local Councils, but is able to create the number of local governments that we desire.
Also at the event, former Military Governor of the state, Rear Admiral Ndubuisi Kanu and Convener of the Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reforms (CODER), Ayo Opadokun joined in the call for true federalism.
Kanu said, “We are at this time struggling to build and we may still have the chance to build the country, but it is a dwindling chance. Whatever is happening now in the country either militancy, Independent People Of Biafra and others, will not stop until we go back to the Nigeria that we are expected to build; a federal Nigeria.”
According to him, “We should brace up and be prepared. Prayer will not solve the problem. We have to get back to a federal Nigeria. If not, we should be prepared because what we are seeing is just a child’s play. I have not lost faith in the country’s old anthem.”
Opadokun on his part said it is sad that the country, which is the eight largest exporter of crude oil, has the largest number of poorest people in the world.
Opadokun pointed out that,” Something must be wrong with Nigeria, saying it will never get out of the wood until we restructures this skewed, warped, lopsided national structure.”
He warned that, “We will continue to grope in the dark. without finding our bearing until we restructure the country.”
