Nigeria won’t grow without restructuring —Afe Babalola SAN

The founder, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Chief Afe
Babalola (SAN), has insisted that Nigeria will not experience the
much-desired development until the country is restructured.

He asked politicians jostling for the nation’s Presidency to
ensure that restructuring was one of their major campaign
points.

Babalola, in his New Year message to Nigerians on Monday, said
the country must be restructured in order to achieve the dreams of
its founding fathers.

He argued that the huge cost of running the present political
structure was not sustainable.

Babalola said, “I have questioned whether we can afford the
current set up of 36 states, the majority of which rely only on
allocation from the federal purse to survive? Why do we appear so
comfortable with a system in which the executive and legislative
set-up at the federal level is replicated across all the 36 states
with a retinue of commissioners, special assistants, assistant
special assistants, aides etc?

“I have questioned whether we need two tiers of the National
Assembly, when a huge percentage of the annual budget goes to the
maintenance of the national legislature thereby depriving other
crucial areas such as education, health and transportation of much
needed funding.

“Can we not borrow a leaf from Senegal which recognised the
wastage inherent in the two-tier legislative system and abolished
it? Is it not possible to have legislators serve on part-time basis
rather than full time? These and many more are issues which call
for urgent attention and which must be addressed by means of a
National Conference with a mandate to explore means of
restructuring the country.

“Our so-called federal constitution which, de facto, is military
constitution is the greatest problem of Nigeria which is a country
of nations. The operation of the constitution is too expensive with
its attendant over-concentration of power at the centre, thereby
rendering the states and the local governments totally impotent
unlike what obtained under the parliamentary constitutions of 1960
and 1963.

“What Nigeria needs is a change that will make politics less
attractive, make each state to develop at its own pace and do away
with all shades and shapes of criminality.

“It is that change that would enable the component parts of the
country to develop their resources, provide employment, eradicate
poverty and all shades of criminal activities and make individuals
to become true Nigerians.

“It is that change that would enable each state to control its
population, set internationally acceptable standard for admission
to tertiary institutions and bring back the glory of quality
education from our universities.

“That change is the restructuring of the country. It is that
change that would curb over concentration of power in the centre
and reduce corruption, promote harmony and unity and make the
country metamorphose into a nation.

“Those who are campaigning for votes in the February 2019
election should make restructuring of the country the pith and core
of their campaign. Seek the immediate restructuring of the country
first and other things will fall in place.”

Congratulating Nigerians for their resilience in spite of the
challenges they faced in 2018, Babalola urged them to keep the hope
alive for a better 2019.