True federalism will aid Nigeria’s development –Makinde

STEPHEN GBADAMOSI, IBADAN

Oyo state governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, on Thursday, said if the country has proper federalism, development, in especially the public interest, will come.

He added that one of the things he believed the people needed to deal with right now was how to get the best for the country.

He said all the tension presently going all round the country, including insecurity and others, could be traced to lack of opportunities for the people, noting that the country was currently producing young graduates which it could not properly engage.

Governor Makinde spoke while receiving members of the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) Section on Public Interest and Development Law (SPIDEL) who paid him a courtesy call at the Oyo State Government House, Agodi, Ibadan.

The visitors were led by the Chairman, Professor Paul Ananaba; and other members who were in the state to solicit the support of the state government for the forthcoming conference scheduled to hold in the state between May 24 and 26.

Appreciating the visitors and the choice of the state, Governor Makinde also used the opportunity of the visit to explain the reason behind his decisions to complete all abandoned projects embarked upon by his predecessors in office.

He said “I am glad that you are bringing the conference here because that is what we want to see. We want people to come around and experience what we are trying to do here. And we will support you.

“The section of public interest is something that is very interesting to us because I always tell people that this government was put in place by the people themselves.

“We did not come in through any godfather. We did not come in because we had federal might. We did not even have local might when we were about to get elected.

“So, we can only run a government that is sensitive to the yearnings of our people. And if we are hosting a conference of Nigeria Bar Association Section on Public Interest and Development, we think this is an appropriate place for that to happen.

“Like you rightly noted, the learned colleagues are more in this cabinet and they are one of the best hands that we can have around and I can say that in terms of contributions at our meetings. They have not disappointed us so far.

“So, what that tells us is that the legal profession is very old in this country and you have contributed so much to the development of the country. So, please keep striving to do more.

“One of the things that I believe we have to deal with right now as a country is how we can get the best for our country. What kind of arrangement can give us the best? I have been accused of completing projects initiated by the previous administration and we are not ashamed to do that.

“I will like to tell you the reasons so that when you have the opportunity to weigh in, you can know which direction to go. If we are talking about infrastructure right now, we are trying to build the rail line from Lagos to Ibadan. We are trying to build the road from Lagos to Ibadan. If it has been done up to the standard that we expect five to 10 years ago, then, it would not be an issue today.

“If you look at the industrial revolution, the first wave, which basically talked about mechanisation, when you move from that to the second wave, but the second wave is riding on the first. The third is riding on the second.

“So, if you are able to solve a particular problem, when you want to move, you move farther away and consolidate on what you have done before. So, we have the challenge of what kind of federation we are supposed to be.

“Since I came into government, I have been reading a lot of books on what our forefathers, the people that negotiated independence for this country, chose federalism; and what we have done in terms of pushing that further up until now.

“There are some of the challenges we are faced with, which I can track back to the issue of true and fiscal federalism for the country. And lawyers have a very big role to play.

“I believe if we have proper federalism, the development will come, which is of particular interest to me and the public. All the tension we are having all around, the insecurity and others, can be traced to lack of opportunities for the people.

“We are producing young graduates and we are not able to properly engage them.”

The governor further said he would be looking forward to the lawyers looking into some of the issues of Nigeria distorted federal structure and as such assist the country by lending a loud voice to reorganising and restructuring the country in the spirit of true federalism.

“My Commissioner for Finance is in Abuja now for FAAC. If we don’t have it, the whole place will probably collapse. But why should that be? If it is a federation, why are we all running to Abuja every month to look for federal allocation?

“So, those are some of the challenges that I know when legal minds come together, they can assist the country on. You can weigh in and let your voices be heard.

“Some of the requests you have made will be looked at. Security is one of the major pillars of this administration and we will provide a safe and secure environment for you and Oyo State government will support you,” he added.

Speaking earlier, NBA SPIDEL Chairman, Professor Ananaba said about 2,000 members of the association would be in the state for the conference to brainstorm on issues that border on public interest and development.

He said the governor would be expected to declare the conference open, while also requesting support to achieve success in the programmes.