The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi has called on the Federal Government and political leaders to find a way of restructuring the country as soon as possible to avoid what happened in Union of Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR) and other countries such as Romania.
He noted that ASUU strike in particular will continue to occur because the Federal Government cannot implement the said agreements it made with the unions due to shortage of funds.
The monarch made these submissions in a memorandum he presented on behalf of traditional rulers from Oyo, Ogun and Lagos state at the All Progressives Congress (APC) South West Zonal public meeting on true federalism held on Monday in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.
He said that the present structure where a state with the highest population (Lagos) with 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 absolutely unfair.
He noted that 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 call which led to a forced break-up.
Oba Adeyemi said “What I am saying is that, if we do not restructure Nigeria what happened in USSR may happen, USSR was divided with force. Romania also was divided through force. Their leaders were doing exactly what our leaders are doing now.
“36 states’ workers are not being paid, the governors cannot pay them. What caused all these problems is the killing of political leaders in the first republic which was sectional and unjust.
“Ironsi scrapped the Federal structure and replaced it with unitary, since then we have not come back to true federalism. Until we go back to the glorious days of marketing boards, there is no need for Federal Ministry of Culture for example, the Federal Government has no culture.
“Lagos has 20 local government areas officially 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 ASUU strike. 18 years ago, they signed a memorandum of understanding, they found this difficult to implement. We are concentrating too much power at the centre. The present state of things can only be resolved through summits like this.
Oba Adeyemi said that the states are depending too much on the federal government. He posited that this is one of the reasons most of them cannot pay their workers.
“Now, it is very difficult to pay the Obas, the Obas are not trade union, we cannot protest.
“Too much of dependence on the center has reduced the powers of the states with rising spate 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’s House of Assembly, Hon. Micheal Adeyemo and the Olubadan of Ibadanland, Oba Saliu Akanmu Adetunji.
Packaged by Ojo Peter and Dare Alesinloye
