Ooni of Ife, ACF pledge support for Reps’ homegrown system of government

Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi, the Ooni of Ife, has expressed overwhelming support for the ongoing nationwide consultation to adopt an indigenous system of governance, which is being championed by 60 members of the House of Representatives.

Oba Ogunwusi expressed his support in Abuja while speaking to a delegation led by the Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, and Hon. Abdulsamad Dasuki, who asked for his advice, blessings, and support for three proposed bills to restructure elections at the local, state, and federal levels.

Speaking earlier, Hon. Chinda, who expressed deep worry about the country’s numerous issues, expressed optimism that current consultations were aimed at gaining the support of crucial 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, 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 Presidential. If there’s need and Nigerians think that look, we need to put A, B, C in place, we will have time to do all that.

“But your Majesty, what we have come 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 that the ongoing consultation, argued that the move towards 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, there are complains, things are not the way they should. Some are clamouring for decentralization, some are saying restructure. We as parliamentarians are saying system – 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 that have started this very important journey, together with you and all Leaders, infact all Nigerians to start the action immediately because we believe something needs to be done to arrest the current situation we are 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 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 data of what is in the north now, I am very very sure they would be the ones that will say let us do that thing now now now.

“Some people call it restructuring, some people called it true federalism, some people call it devolution of powers, all in all na the same thing.

“The white elephant, we don’t want to talk about it, it has gotten to the time unless we want another problem for us in this country. We have gotten to the wall but you have made name for yourselves.

“How, you are becoming another pioneer; those leaders were young then. Even youths had 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 they had pioneers 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 thing 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 of things 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 are we having problem in the south west, they are fighting. In the north they’re fighting, in the East fighting, okay let’s do a mix a bit.”

In a related development, Chairman, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) Board of Trustees, Alhaji Bashir Dalhatu has pledged the Forum’s support for the ongoing consultation for the adoption of Parliamentary system of government in place of the current Presidential system of government.

He said: “We have just concluded a very engaging and fruitful meeting, and members of the House of Representatives, the Group which is advocating for a return of parliamentary system of government.

“They have asked the Arewa Consultative Forum to sit with them, and engage them, and discuss the issues and define the ways to associate and support.

“But we have agreed that at the end, we are going to constitute a Committee that will be working with this honourable Members, to look at the draft bills they have prepared and to also make suggestions and inputs, that we hope that in the end will be for the best benefits to Nigeria and our people, and the whole country in general.”

Speaking further on the proposed legislations, Alhaji Dalhatu who acknowledged the ingenuity being brought to bare by the lawmakers and how the proposed Parliamentary system of government would address all forms of agitations.

Both parties at the end of the closed door meeting which lasted for over two hours, unanimously resolved to set up a Committee that will review the proposed legislations with a view to make inputs for the benefit of the Country.

He said: “There are many opinions, and there’s a strong opinion that Presidential system of government has run out of control and too expensive and it’s not working very well and therefore it’s time for people and the government to start looking at better alternatives.

“You don’t have to call it parliamentary system. You don’t have to call it presidential system.

“There should be actually some form of Nigerian system, African, which take into consideration, all of our values, visions, and views and aspirations, that is going to work for us.

“And whatever name you give it, we are going to be able to look at it and if we are happy and satisfied that it is going to work for Nigerians, we will support it,” the Chairman ACF Board of Trustees assured.

Speaking on behalf of the Parliamentary Group, the Minority Leader, Hon. Kingsley Chinda underscored the need for paradigm shift from the current Presidential system of government.

He said: “We are here in continuation of our attempt to get to Nigerians to explain further the bills that we have proposed on the floor of the House which we expect will take us out of the present very laborious United States type of presidential system.

“But, what we are looking at, yes, we have called it a presidential system but it’s just a constitution review, a change of style that will reduce the baggage of government, a change of style that will make office holders more accountable.

“A change of style that will make government decisions arrived at easier and the execution carried out easier.

“A change of style that will make everybody in public office not to be a passerby, not to be sleeping but to be on his toes, and to be the best to our country Nigeria.

“We came to meet the ACF, to talk to them about this and to get their buy-in, just like we are also moving round to meet persons.

“We are also drawing from their wealth of knowledge because a lot of questions are being asked, a lot suggestions are being made and we are enriching our own knowledge which will help us in lawmaking on the floor of the Parliament.”