The Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Suraju Ishola Adekunbi, says the practice of true federalism will accelerate regional development and enhance rapid growth of every part of the nation through the promotion of healthy rivalry among the various regions.
Adekunbi, who disclosed this while receiving members of the Yoruba Koya Leadership and Training Foundation led by Senator Femi Okunrounmu ,who presented to him a document on restructuring as well as a proposed amendment for the nation’s constitution, explained that the clamour for true federalism through restructuring by the Yoruba elders was neither tribalistic nor aimed at bringing about division in the nation.
Commending the group for promoting an egalitarian society through nation building, the speaker assured that the Assembly would ensure holistic consideration of the proposed bill presented to it by the group for the betterment of the nation.
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Adekunbi recalled that the Assembly unanimously supported devolution of power during the third and forth 1999 Constitutional amendment, saying that the nation witnessed tremendous development during the era of regional government which remained a point of reference for the Yoruba nation.
Earlier in their separate remarks, Senators Okunrounmu,Tokunbo Okubanjo of Ogun Central and Ogun East Senatorial Districts as well as the Convener, Otunba Deji Osibogun, opined that the visit was to sensitise the lawmakers on the need for the actualisation of restructuring of Nigeria’s political, economic and social structures for the sake of the generation yet unborn.
They advocated the need for regions to be autonomous, with each of the federating units given the opportunity to control its resources for socio-economic advancement, stating that the step would address the issues of inequality, federal character and distribution of national resources.
Recalling the nation’s post-independent history of the regions, the elder statesmen made remarkable reference to the efforts of the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, positing that it was on the basis upon which the British granted independence to the country stressing that restructuring was essential to the socio-economic development of the nation.