Renowned elder statesman and former Osun State governor, Chief Bisi Akande, has joined calls for the restructuring of Nigeria stating that the nation needs to adopt a federal constitution to achieve progress
Akande made these remarks during an exclusive interview on the inaugural episode of the political program “Inside Sources,” hosted by former presidential aide Laolu Akande and broadcast on Channels TV.
In the groundbreaking debut of “Inside Sources,” Chief Bisi Akande engaged in a comprehensive and insightful conversation with the host, discussing crucial national issues encompassing governance, leadership, politics, and the future of Nigerian politics.
In discussing the contentious issues of religion and ethnicity, Akande acknowledged their significance in the country’s political landscape. He contended that with the right constitution, these factors could contribute positively to community development. However, he emphasized the need for a true federal constitution tailored to Nigeria’s diversity.
Akande identified politicians and statesmen as key players capable of harnessing religion and ethnicity for the collective good. He criticized the current leadership for lacking essential education about the intricacies of effective governance, emphasizing the need for leaders to comprehend the geography, history, and sociological settings of the people they serve.
“We call them politicians and statesmen. Whoever wanted Nigeria to go forward could use the media and ethnicity to promote the understanding of the community towards a common goal. But the way the constitution is now, we need a true federal constitution.
“Federal constitution is a very difficult system of government. But it is a must constitution for diversity. You can’t use a unity government among the diverse ethnic communities.
“You don’t need a federal kind of government as a one nationality. But in a multi-ethnic nationality like Nigeria, you need a true federal constitution to make it work well.”
Addressing the critical question of whether Nigeria is on the right path, the veteran politician expressed his concern, stating, “Nigeria has been having a stunted growth, and today the sources of its nutrition are in deficit. The nutrition for a good polity is infrastructure and human capacity. Both we seem not to have in the right direction.
“So for that reason, I don’t see Nigeria in the right direction. But with the reason attempt to change the situation let’s hope Nigeria will be strong enough to bear the change, Akande noted.
Akande further underscored the need for a genuine federal constitution to set Nigeria on a more promising course.
When questioned about the root causes of Nigeria’s multifaceted challenges and potential solutions, Akande emphasized a transformative approach to the country’s educational system. He argued that effective education is pivotal to streamlining national goals and fostering development.
Akande highlighted the existing disparities in educational philosophies within the country and advocated for a comprehensive review to achieve a unified vision.
“The differences in the approach to education had created a sort of misunderstanding among the leadership and the people of the country. While some believe in deep education, a universal education some believe in different ways of looking at it, Akande stated
“While some feel that everybody should be educated, some feel that it is unnecessary, only a few should be educated. And then we have one Nigeria, where some are educated partially, some are deeply educated and some are not educated. So we can’t understand ourselves. We need to look at our education properly to be able to streamline the goal.
In a critique of the current constitutional framework, Akande argued for the necessity of a clear and concise federal constitution. He lamented the existing confusion where decisions made at the federal level are incorrectly attributed to local or state authorities.
“We have no constitution now. What we have is the understanding of what is our constitution now is that the federal government takes a decision and the rest of us queue behind it.
“That is why you will see a market woman whose stall has been blown away by the wind and will be saying, ‘Ah! but we voted for Tinubu,” come and see flood in our community.’ That’s a local government job and should be directed by the state government. It has nothing to do with the federal government.
“But because our people, you know because the constitution is not well defined or simply defined, see how long it is. It is too long. All we need to do is to look at the schedule and say that this is your job, the federal government and this is your job state government. But the way it is coined and written, it is too difficult for the Nigerian people,” Akande concluded.
In essence, Chief Bisi Akande’s insightful interview on “Inside Sources” provides a comprehensive analysis of Nigeria’s challenges and advocates for crucial reforms, particularly in education and constitutional governance, to steer the nation toward a more prosperous and united future.