A traditional ruler, Baale Taye Ayorinde, has lent his voice to the call for the restructuring of the country, saying failure to do this may lead the country sitting on a keg of gun powder.
He explained that with restructuring the country will be set back on the path of greatness with the states developing at their own pace, stating that those against restructuring do not want the progress of the country as most of the states will go down.
Ayorinde who is the Baale of Ekotedo, Ibadan, while speaking with journalists on what he called, “Making Nigeria great again”, said the country has been great in the past with Nigeria depending on agriculture from the Western region, groundnut from the North and palm oil, tin and coal from the East.
According to him, the country is copying wrongly the American federal system which is productive with its states and people having the necessary environment to flourish, noting that apart from Lagos and probably Rivers States, virtually all the states in the country are lagging behind economically.
He said, “In the past Nigeria were adjudged very great and rich in every aspect, commerce, culture, tradition and united patriotic instincts and actions. Nigeria has no need to record poverty in the midst of plenty of human resources, vegetation of different types and mineral resources.”
While insisting that more power should be devolved to the states with the Federal Government handing off most of its responsibilities, Baale Ayorinde said history should be reintroduced back to the curriculum in our schools so that the young ones can know where the country is coming from and where it is supposed to be.
Speaking on other things that the country needs to do to be great again, he called for the adoption of Option A4 to elect political leaders in order to unite the country, stating that the system encourages mutual understanding, public and human relations in politics.
He said, “Religious intolerance will be banished during the primaries and election. Our unity should be forged by making the Houses of Assembly to be a part time basis as the present American system of government is too expensive for Nigeria and it encourages corruption. People who could not afford to buy a bicycle become overnight millionaire because of the income they earn while the new minimum wage been asked for by workers could not be approved.
“State police should be allowed as it existed in the past as Constabularies. It becomes easier for criminals to be traced and checked while strangers or foreigners sneaking into any community will be easily traced. All states in Nigeria must ban street begging of any sort. Indeed street and sedentary beggars of any sort must be deported to where they come from street as street begging constitutes security risk with no one sure of who is a beggar or night marauder.
“The Federal Government should not dabble into the aspects of our lives which should belong to states as they were many years ago. These include agriculture; mineral resources (states only pay royalty of certain percentage to the Federal Government; university education; sports; development of cultural affairs like festivals. If there is a national festival of arts and culture, each state should be made to contribute what she deems to be the best of its culture.”
