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From Oluseye Ojo, Ibadan
The 2023 governorship candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Oyo State, Senator Teslim Folarin, who is spending his third term in the Senate, on Wednesday said Nigeria cannot develop if the Exclusive List remains in the country’s constitution.
He made the disclosure in his address at the Day Four of the 2022 Press Week of the Nigeria Union of Journalist (NUJ), Oyo State Council, held at the Press Centre, Iyaganku, Ibadan, during which a criminologist from the University of Ibadan, Dr. Oludayo Tade, delivered a public lecture on the topic: Rescuing Nigeria from Its Abductors.
According to Folarin, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Local Contents, and Asaaju Olubadan of Ibadanland, “It will be difficult for states to develop if Exclusives List still remains in the constitution. Most of the problems in the country emanated from the inclusion of Exclusive List in the constitution. States may find it difficult if exclusive is not removed from the constitution. The problem is the Exclusive List. It is not possible for states to work on the same pace.
“You brought a policeman from Akwa Ibom State to protect people at Orita Challenge in Ibadan, Oyo State. It cannot work. It is a constitutional matter. We have to loosen the constitution. If we discover crude oil at this NUJ Press Centre, it becomes the property of the Federal Government. How do you want states to develop in that way?”
Folarin also spoke on violent-free electioneering, saying: “Everybody has the right to be ambitious without any form of violence. Across the country, we have the issue of insecurity, banditry and so on. But in Oyo State, it is a new dimension; there is a state-sponsorship terrorism. Leave the people to decide, we have been working hard and we will continue to.
“We don’t want power for powers sake. We want to make a difference and we are going to make the difference. We have studied Oyo State across all sectors, and we are coming up with recipe that, we believe, will change a lot of things; creating jobs is the most important thing, creating wealth is our priority.
“Agriculture is the future of Oyo State because 85 per cent of our lands are arable. So, the sensible thing is to plan our economic around our lands and that is the sensible things to do. For instance, if you come from the Niger Delta, it doesn’t make sense when you’re talking about agriculture. But if you come from this part of the country, agriculture is the main thing.”
Folarin also contended that destruction of APC billboards in the state “by the opposition is simply an admission of defeat because at the end of the day, it is about people making decisions and they should allow people to make their choice. This is strange. It has not been happening before.Three days ago, the billboard of Asiwaju and I that was put up at the private property at the express road was destroyed. They went there with guns, chased away people, destroyed the billboards. I don’t get it. We have reported the issue to the police and there is nothing we can do as law abiding citizens than reporting it to the security agencies.”
The chairman of the occasion, Sharafadeen Alli, who is the 2023 APC candidate for Oyo South senatorial district, enjoined journalists to be fair and accurate in their reportorial duties, particularly before, during and after the 2023 general elections. He described the elections as one of the determinants of the corporate existence of Nigeria. He also warned against destruction of APC billboards, which could lead to faceoff in the political arena.
The Oyo NUJ chairman, Ademola Babalola, appealed to politicians to thread softly before, during and after the 2023 general elections. He frowned at tearing of opposition billboard across the state, saying politicians should play the game according to the rule. The will of God, according to him, shall prevail, no matter what anyone does.
