Six year single tenure best for Nigeria,- ex- NBA president, Olanipekun reiterates
By Ayodele Adesanmi
Former national president of the National Bar Association (NBA)Chief Wole Olanipekun said he had proposed to the nation that a single term of six year would be the best for the country
He said “When I was the president of NBA, 2002-2004, we originated it. It was one of the proposals we brought to Obasanjo as president but he rejected it.
“The proposal was beautifully crafted and the plan was to stabilise the federal republic of Nigeria and we suggested a single term of five or six years for presidents.
“We suggested that since there are six geo-political zones in Nigeria, if the President comes from the southwest, there will be six Vice Presidents but those VPs must have a portfolio like ministry of Justice, education, Defence, FCT, Works.
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“A geopolitical zone that has a Vice President of education will not have a Minister of education. We read it out for him and if per adventure, the president of a geo-political zone whether impeached or dies in office, the Vice President from his geo-political zone will complete his tenure.
“We would have stabilized the system but it didn’t work.I am still on the view that we have to do something about the constitution, we have to look into it, the constitution to me is not federal, it does not reflect what we have on ground as people of Nigeria, as the context of Nigeria.
“We should have a constitution that is homegrown, no constitution is perfect but we can’t be going on with an imperfect constitution, it’s just a house with no good foundation and something has to be done to it”.
Chief Olanipekun, has also has awarded the 28th Scholarship Award Scheme, and 5th Empowerment Programme annually
According to him, he gave a breakdown, the Wole Olanipekun Scholarship Scheme, (WOSS), founded since 1996, alone, had produced a total of 3,019 beneficiaries .
He said the figure, included successful professionals, who are now of diverse grades doing well in their areas of specialisation in the country today, while for this year alone, the scholarship arrangement ,covers 150 beneficiaries, and had been extended to some students, who needed urgent and critical attention, as at the time.
He said, as for the Wole Olanipekun Foundation, (WOF), Empowerment Programme, which commenced five years ago, a total of 200 widows, 200 aged people, and 400 young entrepreneurs had so far been attended to, making a total of 800 persons, while for this year alone, 50 widows, 50 aged people, and 150 young entrepreneurs also benefited.
He said he drew his inspiration for such gestures, on the fact that he once tasted poverty, and knew how it pinched, saying the best way to give back to the society, was to bail out those in dire need.
