The Pan-Yoruba social political group, the Afenifere, on Tuesday, said that its blueprint on how to restructure the country is ready.
The group said that its idea of restructuring the country tilts towards the adoption of the parliamentary system of government, which helps to cut down on billions of Naira spent campaigning for elections, and significantly the heavy cost of governance as it obtains under the federal system of government.
The group stated that President Bola Tinubu has no excuse not to run with the vision of restructuring the country, having been at the vanguard of the struggle and being a beneficiary of the call for restructuring within this democratic dispensation.
The publicity secretary of the group, Gboyega Adejumo, stated this after the caucus meeting of the Afenifere held at the Isanya Ogbo Ijebu residence of Yoruba leader, Ayo Adebanjo.
The meeting, which was presided over by Mr Adebanjo, had in attendance the deputy leader of the group, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, the treasurer, Supo Sonibare; former Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Kofoworola Bucknor; the deputy national publicity secretary, Justice Faloye; Segun Ojo, and Segun Sanni, among others.
Addressing journalists after the meeting, Mr Adejumo said, “What we had here today is caucus meeting of Afenifere and the germane national issue that took the centre stage was restructuring.
Sometimes last year November, a committee, under the leadership of Oba Oladipo Olaitan, was set up to aggregate Afenifere’s view on restructuring. And today, the committee said that the report is ready.
“However, this report will still be considered by the executive of the association, after which it will be taken to the general assembly where all the members will get to know our stand on restructuring as Afenifere. We shall then print the report, and enlighten Nigerians on our stand on restructuring,” he said.
Mr Adejumo noted that President Tinubu himself is a product of group, having been elected on the platform and ideology of Afenifere. He recalled that Mr Tinubu took the federal government to court, under the leadership of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, for 31 times in an effort to implement restructuring.
“He didn’t do anything when former President Muhammadu Buhari was there for eight years, probably he was bidding his time because he knew that northerners won’t implement restructuring because of their believe that it won’t favour them. But Tinubu is there now as the President; he is answerable to us all as a product of Afenifere,” he said.
Asked to give a hint on the Afenifere report, Mr Adejumo said “what we are actually proposing is a parliamentary system of government. The late Obafemi Awolowo didn’t have to campaign in Ijebu Igbo; all he had to do was to win in Ikenne to become a member of the House and whoever is the leader of the party becomes0 the Prime Minister or the Premier.
“The old Western Region was from Badagry in Lagos to Asaba in present day Delta State, but he never had to be campaigning everywhere as we do now. It makes governance so cheap; nobody will have to spend billions on campaigns again,” he stated.
The publicity secretary of Afenifere stressed that with the parliamentary system of government, Nigeria will be spending one tenth of the humongous resources being used currently to run the presidential system.
