Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, on Wednesday traced Nigeria’s problems to the 1966 military coup which he said derailed federalism and replaced it with unitarism that has continued to create all sorts of problems for the country. Mr. Amaechi stated this in Abeokuta, the Ogun State Capital, while delivering a lecture on the topic ‘Nigeria; The Leadership Question’ at the 3rd Annual Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ, Correspondents Chapel lecture held at Iwe-Iroyin Press Centre. The Governor, represented by his Commissioner for Information, Ibim Semenitari, said only true federalism can save Nigeria in her quest to surmount her numerous challenges and be a true leader in Africa. “When we had true federalism in Nigeria, everybody rejoiced. The three regions developed at their own pace and that created healthy rivalry in terms of bringing development. “The federal government back then only functioned in the context of that regional autonomy. But then all that changed with the advent of coups and counter coups that followed,” Mr. Amaechi said. The governor said then it did not matter where Nigerians lived. He said nobody feared or suspected anybody of domination because the federal arrangement had already eliminated such possibilities. He condemned what he called ‘tyranny’ where someone in Abuja decides what goes into individual states from the federation account. He also frowned at the arrangement that cedes the bulk of the national wealth to the federal government while states and local governments grapple with funding inadequacies and huge commitments. He said the lopsided nature of sharing the Nigerian funds has made state governors unable to perform effectively as chief security officers of their states. He lamented that state commissioners of police take their orders directly from Abuja and there is nothing the governors can do about it. “The present arrangement in Nigeria concedes dangerous powers in the hands of individuals in central institutions. The commissioner of police does not answer to the governor who is supposed to be the chief security officer of the state,” he said. Mr. Amaechi described what is playing out in the Rivers judiciary as “tyranny”. He said it was illegal for the National Judicial Council, NJC, to meddle in the affairs of states in appointment of judges. “What the NJC is doing in Rivers state is outright tyranny. The power to appoint the chief judge according to the constitution resides with the state governor; but in Rivers the NJC is changing that. “In a clearly defined federalism, the states are not serfs, neither is the federal government any lord,” he said. Responding to questions from the audience, Mr. Amaechi urged Nigerians to participate in the 2015 elections. “My admonition is for all of us to get involved and elect the good leaders that we crave for. Staying on the fence or apathy to electoral processes cannot help anybody. We should get involved and deliver ourselves from the yoke of bad leadership,” he urged. In his remark, the Commissioner for information in Ogun State, Yusuph Olaniyonu, commended the NUJ for the lecture. He asked journalists to stick to the ethics of their profession. “It is important for us as journalists, as gatekeepers, to ensure we don’t allow unethical interests to affect our professional judgement. We should not allow bad people to get to power,” Mr. Olaniyonu said.
Posted on: Wed, 04 Jun 2014 22:01:32 +0000
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