‘True federalism panacea to Nigeria’s challenges’
The pan-Yoruba socio-cultural organisation, Afenifere, has said that the Federal Government is using diversionary and hypocritical tactics over the suit filed at the Supreme Court on full autonomy for local councils.
The foremost Yoruba group, which accused President Bola Tinubu of playing to the gallery, maintained that there is a lack of political will to restructure the country.
The Afenifere, in a communique issued after a special meeting of its national caucus held, yesterday, at the Lagos residence of its leader, Ayo Adebanjo, maintained that Tinubu is not different from his predecessors in their stance on local council autonomy.
In the communiqué signed by Adebanjo and the National Publicity Secretary, Justice Faloye, the group emphasised that local councils remained the business of the federating units, hence their listing in the constitution of the 744 local councils ‘arbitrarily” created by the military is antithetical to the principles of federalism.
The communique reads in part: “Afenifere harbours no doubt that the Tinubu Presidency is not unaware that this relief is of no moment without amendment of Section 162 and particularly sub-section (6), which provides that
“each state shall maintain a special account to be called “State Joint Local Government Account” into which shall be paid all allocations to local councils of the state from the Federation Account and from the government of the state.”
RELATEDLY, the Rector of Immanuel College of Theology and Christian Education, Ven. (Dr) Isaac Olukoyade Oyeneye, yesterday, said true federalism is the only and sure solution to the series of problems facing Nigeria as a country.
The cleric, who spoke during the dinner and media parley for the 63rd graduation ceremony of students of the college in Ibadan, said that call for secession by various tribal groups in the country was not the solution to Nigeria’s problem.
Oyeneye noted that the idea of a proposed single-term for president and governors may sound good but as long as it is still going to be used under the current governing arrangement, I doubt it will work.
In their separate remarks, the Board Chairman of the College, Rt. Revd Olu Akinola; Chairman, Graduation/Award Planning Committee, Rt. RevdIfedolaOkuperi and the Alumni President, Rt. Revd Jacob Ibikunle, urged the graduating students to be good ambassadors of the college.