Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, has expressed overwhelming support for the ongoing nationwide consultation for the adoption of a homegrown system of government, which is being championed by 60 members of the House of Representatives.
Oba Ogunwusi expressed his support in Abuja on Thursday night while addressing a delegation led by the Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, and Hon. Abdulsamad Dasuki, who solicited his counsel, blessings, and support for the three proposed bills that seek to restructure elections at the local, state, and federal levels.
Speaking earlier, Hon. Chinda, who expressed grave concerns over the myriad challenges facing the country, expressed optimism that ongoing consultation was aimed at getting the buy-in of critical actors in the Nigerian project.
He said, “If we try the local government system and it works, we graduate to the stage, where members from the state assembly among themselves elect a governor. If that works, while that is happening, we are looking at the faults, the problems, and the loopholes, and we keep making consequential amendments to our law before we get to the national level.
“So, that’s why we are looking at 2031 for the presidential; then we would have tried the local government, we would have tried the state, and then before we come to the presidential. If there’s a need and Nigerians think that we need to put A, B, and C in place, we will have time to do all that.
“But your Majesty, what we have come to do, like I’ve said earlier, is to seek your consent, seek your blessings, seek your advice, and tap from your wealth of knowledge.”
On his part, Hon. Abdulsamad Dasuki expressed optimism about the ongoing consultation and argued that the move towards a parliamentary system of government would help to address various concerns raised by all Nigerians.
He said, “Sir, the elections are over. The court cases, by God’s grace, are over. We all know from all parts of the country that there are complaints that things are not going as they should. Some are clamouring for decentralisation, and some are saying restructure. We, as parliamentarians, are saying the system is a parliamentary system of government. I think there’s no better time to put our words into action than now.
“So, your Majesty, we are here on behalf of the 60 of us who have started this very important journey, together with you and all leaders, in fact, all Nigerians, to start the action immediately because we believe something needs to be done to arrest the current situation we are in in Nigeria today. And I believe by the time we leave here, by God’s grace, it’s going to be action, and action to see is through the challenges that are before us.”
In his response, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, who showered encomium on the Parliamentarians, expressed the need to create healthy competition among the six geopolitical zones in the bid to effectively harness and unlock the country’s huge natural and human resources.
Oba Ogunwusi, who described the current system of government as accidental, however, stressed that the mix of parliamentary and presidential systems of government pioneered by the late Azikwe and other early politicians was shortlived as the military incursion into democracy.
“It’s a mistake of the past that people are saying it’s the northern people that are holding it; they want to. It’s a lie. If the people see the data of what is in the north now, I am very sure they will be the ones who say, Let us do that thing now.
“Some people call it restructuring; some people call it true federalism; some people call it devolution of powers; all in all, it’s the same thing.
“The white elephant, we don’t want to talk about it; it has gotten to the point unless we want another problem for us in this country. We have gotten to the wall, but you have made names for yourselves.
“How are you becoming another pioneer? Those leaders were young then. Even youths have a chance to rule now; who told you? Are you going to go and kill all of them? Gowon 31 became president, Obasanjo about 41 became president, started giving birth on the throne, Babangida forty-something, they are still alive, go and kill them!
“They are all pioneers; some of them had pioneering military coups; some of them pioneered this same parliamentary system we talked about; they are in their 80s and 90s; would we go and kill our elders?
“Now you’re pioneering good things again, so another coup is coming again. I’m so happy. From the throne of Oduduwa, I’m so delighted in what you’re doing. You don’t know the meaning of what you’re doing, pioneer. When you pioneer things, you take the lead because we cannot continue to do the same thing from 1966 if you know Nigeria’s history.
“What is in our constitution happened by accident. It was designed just to test why we are having problems in the south-west; they are fighting. In the north, they’re fighting; in the east, they’re fighting. Okay, let’s do a mix a bit.”