Don, SAN to Tinubu: Use 2014 Confab, APC’s true federalism reports for reforms

A former Vice Chancellor of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Ondo State, Prof. Oluwafemi Mimiko, and a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof. Adeniyi Olatunbosun, have called on President Bola Tinubu to visit the reports of the 2024 National Conference and the All Progressives Congress [APC] Committee on True Federalism to retool Nigeria and tackle the challenges besetting the country.

The 2014 Confab report was facilitated by the Peoples Democratic Party [PDP] national government under the presidency of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, while the APC report was headed by the then Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State.

Mimiko and Olatunbosun made the call during the first public lecture of Kola Daisi University, Ibadan.

Mimiko, who was the public lecturer, spoke on the theme, “Why should regular nation-building challenges continue to undercut Nigeria’s Development Possibilities? Lessons from elsewhere.”

The former vice chancellor, who said democracy remained the best option for the country, however, stressed the need to deepen democratic and electoral processes.

Mimiko said: “As part of the efforts at refining the environment of economic policy and enhancing the prospects of nation-building, Nigeria needs to host a system of justice and equity.

“Significantly, most of these elements are contained in the reports of the 2024 National Conference, facilitated by a PDP national government, and the APC Committee on True Federalism. The two identical documents, emanating from different political parties and governments, indicate a commonality of thoughts on the pathway to a new Nigeria.

“I urge President Bola Tinubu to bring them out for usage as critical working papers in retooling Nigeria’s warped federal system that has proven itself fundamentally wanting.”

On his part, Olatunbosun, who is the VC of Kola Daisi University, said the first public lecture was part of the fourth convocation ceremony.

On the state of the nation, Olatunbosun, who is a Professor of Law, said it was imperative to look at the 2014 Confab Report, adding that it represented the collective aspirations of Nigerians.

The SAN said: “It is a collective aspiration and recommendations by accredited people that have been put in place to chart the pathway for the country. By and large, we should not be playing politics with things that have to do with national integration and advancement. The collective will of the Nigerian people should always be seen as a sacrosanct concept, which we must all follow up. So I believe that the APC still has an opportunity to look into it with a view to reviewing it and seeing how we can implement some of the points that are there. So, there is a need for us to ensure that our collective responsibility is to ensure that this Nigerian nation works, and that is what should be paramount.”

The chairman of the lecture, Dr. Sekinat Kola-Aderoju; Prof. Olajumoke Morenike [DVC], Dr. Adebukola Ayoola, and others lauded Prof. Mimiko for the incisive lecture.