Ondo State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Odunayo Akeredolu, SAN, has canvassed urgent structural solutions for dousing ethnic agitations in the country.
Governor Akeredolu let out that for equity and justice to rain in the country, most of the items on the Exclusive Legislative List, as reinforced by Section 251 of the 1999 Constitution, must be modified and proceeded to the Residual and Concurrent List.
In a statement available to The Trumpet released by the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Richard Olatunde said the Governor made the call while speaking at the 45th convocation lecture of Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife as a guest lecturer on the theme: “When Is A Nation? Exploring the socio-Political Crisis In Post Independence Nigeria”
Akeredolu added that diverse ethnic nationalities in the country should be allowed to flourish on their own, noting that Items such as education, health care, judiciary, police, prison services, and resource control should be on the Concurrent List.
“The Federal Government should divest itself of the burdens and allow the component units to flower, strengthening that states should control their resources and maintain their internal security while the Federal Government should coordinate and do not take over,” he added
However, the governor lamented the dependence of states on hand-outs from the Federal Government, asserting that no state is entrusted to take autonomous decisions for the benefit of its people.
“Approvals must come from the center on virtually everything. This Constitution vests all the lands in a State in the State Governor who holds the same in trust for the people. The incessant attacks on farmers by criminal herders, who destroy the crops of these long-suffering downtrodden members of the society, expose the impotence of State Governors.
Strange elements have been invading states to prospect for mineral resources without recourse to the authorities. Farmlands have been destroyed and the people are constantly exposed to ecological disasters to assuage greed.
Unscrupulous elements grant prospecting licenses to people who move into lands with marauders. The security of these States is compromised, heavily.”
The Governor recognized the adoption of a common language to all the ethnic nationalities as a tool of communication as one of the features of a country and insisted that power must be rotated between the North and South.
More so, He said he would be happy to see a southerner emerge as the President of the country come 2023, noting that nothing is bad if such a southerner chooses to adopt the Hausa language as the common language for the country.
“It must not be imposed. There must be an agreement to use it as the official means of communication without coercion”, he said.
Akeredolu also condemned the current situation in the country which ensures that emphasis is on revenue allocation and not generation.
“Some states are in court to ask the Federal Inland Revenue Services, an agency of the Federal Government, to hand off the collection of sales taxes as this duty rests with the states.
The Federal Government, through the Office of the Attorney General and Minister of Justice, is asking all States to “remit” Stamp Duty, tax collected on contracts awarded by State Governments, to it.
We will ask to be apprised of the justification for this latest onslaught. The Federal Government also wishes to take over “Inland Waterways”, whatever that means. Our fishermen will soon need a license to fish from the Federal Ministry of Water Resources.”
The Governor asserted that the six geo-political zones in the country should be nurtured to hasten the process of real integration among the diverse groups, putting in that every geo-political zone should act as a unit of representation in all sectors.
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More so, he noted that the group-political zones should be free to determine their laws and the application, as well as design their own curriculum of education to meet unique challenges.
According to him, “It should have its apex court which will determine all matters affecting it. The federal judiciary should take care of issues in the Exclusive Legislative List as was the case. This geo-political should be allowed to take charge of economic activities in its jurisdiction and pay taxes to the Federal Government as appropriate. It should take over most of the roads tagged “Federal”, repair and toll same, if necessary.
Most of the items in the Exclusive List should be transferred to the Concurrent and Residual List. The Federal Government should divest itself off these burdens and allow the component units to flourish. Let these units control their resources and maintain their internal security. Let the Federal Government coordinate and not take over.
“If these suggestions are observed, the current tensions will have been eliminated without breaking any sweat. The culture of laziness that has become endemic will change. No component unit will expect hand-outs from the Federal Government.”
Oluwarotimi pointed out that if this is duly followed, there will be no basis; all will be encouraged to work assiduously for economic prosperity, and no unit will depend on the so-called bail-out funds to pay a largely indolent bureaucracy which is part of the problems of the country.
“The geo-political zone will organize its civil service to respond to the needs of the public. Redundancy will be discouraged. Our dear country will have solved most of the current problems if these humble submissions are taken seriously.”
