By Chris Chimezie
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Vice President , Professor Yemi Osinbajo has described pioneer chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Bisi Akande as a straight forward leader who has continued to live a modest and frugal life.

The Vice President stated this at the 80th birthday ceremony in honour of the former Osun state Governor  held at the Emeritus Professor Theophilus Ogunlesi Multipurpose Hall, Ibadan.

Osinbajo said Nigeria undoubtedly needed stronger states with more powers, more rights and more responsibilities to help reshape the destinies of their people.

He advocated fiscal federalism that will enable states look inward rather than rely on what comes from the federation account.

“A classical example of a successful fiscal federalism in the history of Nigeria was the six year reign of the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, who was the Premier of the Old Western Nigerian.

“Lagos State under the leadership of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was an example of an administration which looked inward for the development of the state by exploring constitutional provisions through the court which granted the state what was due to it from the Federal Government”, he said.

Earlier, the Keynote Speaker who is the Governor of Kaduna State and Chairman of APC Restructuring Committee, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, dismissed as unfounded, insinuations that the Northern Nigeria was unanimous against restructuring.

He said restructuring has become the way out of the current challenges facing the country through devolution of powers by way of creating state police and revolutionising the judiciary in favour of the states rather than concentrating absolute powers in the hands of National Judicial  Council, NJC.

While stating that true federalism entails that the Local Government structure would exist at the mercy of States, Governor El- Rufai categorically said that there could only be a two-tier of government in a federation.

In his good will message tilted “Celebrating An Avatar @ 80, Ondo State Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN) described the celebrant as an exceptional old man who deserved to be celebrated having rendered altruistic service to his fatherland.

Arakunrin Akeredolu said the experience Chief Akande had garnered in public service, spanning several decades, have remained exemplary to the people in the Southwest Nigeria and the country at large.