Afenifere, a socio-cultural organization
for the Yoruba people of Nigeria, has berated the Vice President, Prof.
Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) and other political office holders for lack of civic
education in the political environment, reports ITRealms.
The group in a press statement made available to ITRealms by
the National Publicity Secretary, Afenifere,
Mr. Yinka Odumakin said their attention have been drawn to the statement credited
to the Vice-president of Nigeria, Prof Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), that the call for
the restructuring of Nigeria would not make any difference.
He quoted the Vice-President in the faux pas also arguing that if states are given half of the resources of the Federal Government it would not make any difference and that all we need is to diversify into agriculture.
Afenifere, said that such a statement is an indication of not paying due attention to civic education.
Noting that though it understand
that the learned Professor, who is from the zone that has been loudest on this
call may have come under pressure to lend his voice to the upholders of the
status quo that has brought Nigeria to this sorry pass, “We would like to
respectfully admonish him to be sure footed on the subject before he speaks
next time.”
According to Afenifere, Osinbajo
missed the entire debate by engaging in the reductionist argument narrowing
the whole issue to taking more money from the Federal Government to the states.
“Yes, fiscal federalism is part of
the argument but the issue goes beyond the monthly Federal Allocation Committee,”
Afenifere said.
Pointing out that the central plank of restructuring is for Nigeria to go back to the true practice of Federalism wherein mineral resources that abound in all states would be freed from the exclusive list so that states would move into prosperity and not be reporting at Prof Osinbajo's office for bailout from a centre that only corners what belongs to the states.
“They would also have enough to
contribute to sustain the occupiers of Abuja and the functions that are
allocated to them,” the group said.
Beyond resources, Afenifere insist, “the country is reeling under crime today and the single police we currently maintain has proved incapable of dealing with the situation. When you listen to commissioners of police lamenting at the scenes of crime these days you will think they are part of passers-by terrified by the horror of crime. It is clear we need multi-level policing to combat crime and have effective policing.
Afenifere posited “From the Federal, down to states and Local Governments, we are bogged down with over bloated bureaucracies that consume as much as 90% of available resources and with little or nothing left for development. We must address how long we want to travel with this culture of waste and to see if we ca deliver better governance with a manageable architecture.
“The question of diversification is a point that advocates of restructuring have canvassed as it makes no sense for a country as vast in resources like Nigeria to depend on a mono-product economy.It is part of restructuring we are talking about and not an alternative to it.
“The restructuring package has a whole wide range of issues that have to do with justice administration, electoral system and its cost implications, conflicts arising from clash of cultures and how to deal with them to ensure peaceful co-existence.
Nigeria is fast falling apart and all genuine patriots have come to a consensus that we must restructure to arrest the drift.
“Yes there is a minority that is insisting that we must continue the way we are just like the minders of some empires that have disappeared from the world map did. The Vice-President is free to cast his lot with this group even when silence could have been golden but he should at least try to acquaint himself with the issues so people are not wondering what are we talking and what is he saying.
Afenifere, therefore advised Prof. Osinbajo and all those who seek high offices to ensure they are not far from issues that shape their political environment and pay due attention to civic education.
Ayo Omidele/GEE
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