By Adekola Afolabi
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The Governor of Ondo State, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has re-emphasised the urgent need to renegotiate and restructure Nigeria to reflect diverse status of the people and address myriad of challenges bedevilling the country.
The Governor also called on the legislators at National Assembly to look critically into the 1999 Constitution (as amended) with a view to expunging and amending relevant provisions of the document which militate against the march towards nationhood.
He stressed the need to make the country work for posterity, adding that it was time to renegotiate, restructure and reinvent Nigeria for the good of all.
Akeredolu who disclosed this on Friday in a statewide broadcast to commemorate the 2021 Independence Day celebration, argued that the current system in the country did not take into account the diverse status of the people, adding that the country was facing serious challenges bordering on redefinition.
The Governor added the current system adopted in the county did not encourage ingenuity, saying it was time for all patriots to unite and speak with one voice .
He explained that the country must not shy away from the reality of her diversity, noting the unique diversity which should ordinarily be a source of strength was gradually becoming the country’s albatross.
“It has become imperative that the current structure be tinkered with in a fundamental way. It is no longer sustainable.
“Our country is blessed abundantly. There is hardly any part of this vastly endowed space that should not be self-sustaining. This land should not be a place where hunger, poverty and a general sense of lack predominate.
“We must be bold enough to interrogate why these challenges appear perennial. We must not shy away from the reality of our diversity which should, ordinarily, be a source of strength but is gradually becoming an albatross.
“We must inquire reasons why those who regarded themselves as brothers and sisters no longer feel comfortable seeing or accommodating one another. We must be willing to confront whatever system which has reduced the once self-reliant sub-national entities to perpetual dependencies practically.
“The states of the Federal Republic of Nigeria appear independent nominally at present. Serious attempts must be made to return our country to the path of progress trodden by the founding fathers. Conscious efforts must be made by both the political and communal leadership in all parts of the country to reorientate the people to embrace the pristine values which held lofty promises for advancement.
“Consequently, I am of the firm view that this occasion affords us yet another opportunity to reflect deeply, on the current difficulties and proffer frank suggestions which will assist in addressing our fundamental challenges of nationhood”, he stressed.
The Governor who believed the security challenges bedeviling the country would become a thing of the past if proper devolution of powers was undertaken, further added that over-centralization of the security architecture in the country was a major impediment.
“Having a police command structure in a country of over 200 million is not sustainable. The attempts by some states to complement the efforts of the security agencies are at best tokenistic. Let each state be in charge of internal security in its locality.
“As a corollary to this submission, each region must be encouraged to take charge of resources in its area. A system which permits strangers to take over the mineral resources in a place without any recourse to local authorities encourages dispossession and promotes misery and want. Development of any given space must be about the people,” Akeredolu emphasised.
Governor Akeredolu, who commended the Federal Government for the current victories recorded in the war against insurgents and terrorists in the Northern region, also acknowledged the great strides taken in abridging the infrastructural deficits in the country.