SAN FRANCISCO, March 06, (THEWILL) – Former Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku has called for the restructuring of the federal structure declaring that Nigeria’s federalism allows too much power and resources at the centre to the detriment of the country’s ethnic nationalities.
Anyaoku made this known in Lagos on Monday at the 2017 Obafemi Awolowo Memorial Lecture, organised by the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation (OAF), which also marked the 108th posthumous birthday of the late Awolowo.
Anyaoku, who heads the selection committee of the Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership, regretted that no candidate was found suitable for the prize in 2017 as he wondered how Nigeria’s founding fathers, such as Awolowo, Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe and Sir Ahmadu Bello would feel about their country if they rose from the dead.
“I have no doubt that lamentation and grievous disappointment would be their feeling, especially for Chief Awolowo, who championed the cause of true federalism, and as premier, invented the impressive socio-economic development of Western Nigeria,” Anyaoku said.
“Chief Awolowo would be disappointed to find that instead of a few viable federating units in which effective economic development can be planned and pursued with security, better policed and maintained, we now have what I would describe as a plethora of nonviable federating units with an all-powerful central government.”
The event was attended by former Head of State, Yakubu Gowon; Lagos State governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, represented by his deputy, Dr. Idiat Adebule; Osun State governor, Rauf Aregbesola; and his Ogun State counterpart, Ibikunle Amosun, who was represented by his Chief of Staff, Chief Tolu Odebiyi.
Other dignitaries included the Ooni of Ife, Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi; the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe; former governor of Ogun State, Chief Olusegun Osoba; and his Delta State counterpart, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, among others.
