FG Must Not Allow Restructuring To Cause War, Break-up – Alaafin
The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III has appealed to the federal government and political leaders not to allow the on-going agitation over restructuring of the country to cause war and break up like it occurred in countries like Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) and Romania.
The monarch, while presenting a memoranda on behalf of traditional rulers from Oyo, Ogun and Lagos States at All Progressives Congress, (APC), South West Zonal public meeting on true federalism held on Monday in Ibadan, said that the present structure, where states like Lagos, with the highest population of over 20 million people is having only 20 local governments while Kano, with six million population is having 44 local government areas is unjust and unfair.
He noted that ASUU strike will continue to occur because the federal government cannot implement the said agreements it made with the unions due to shortage of funds.
According to him, those in power should heed the calls from various quarters to restructure the country, warning that countries such as USSR and Romania were once in this kind of situation but the leaders turned deaf ears to the calls which led to forced break-up.
“What I am saying is that, if we do not restructure Nigeria, what happened in USSR may happen. USSR was broken with force. Romania also, was divided through force.
“Thirty-six state workers are not being paid, the governors cannot pay them. What caused these was the killing of political leaders in the first republic, which was sectional and unjust.
“Ironsi scrapped the Federal structure and replaced it with Unitarian one. Since then, we have not come back to true federalism. Until we go back to the glorious days of marketing board, there is no need for Federal Ministry of Culture, Federal Government has no culture.
“Lagos has 20 local government areas with 20 million people, Kano has 44 local government with six million people. Where do they do that throughout the world? Just like Kano, Jigawa state has more local governments than Lagos state.
“There will continue to be ASSU strike. Eighteen years ago, they signed a memorandum of understanding, they can’t solve it. We are concentrating too much power at the centre. The present state of things can only be resolved through a summit like this”, the monarch said.
Oba Adeyemi, who said that the states were depending too much on the federal government, pointed out that it is one of the reasons most of the states cannot pay their workers.
He said, “Now, it is very difficult to pay the Obas, the Obas are not trade unions, we cannot protest.
“Too much of dependence on the center has reduced the powers of the state with rising state of unemployment”.
Present at the meeting were Governor Simon Bako Lalong of Plateau State, who is the Chairman for the Oyo, Ogun and Lagos meeting, Deputy Governor of Oyo State, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo; Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Hon. Micheal Adeyemo and the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Adetunji.