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- Says will stop fierce struggle for power
From George Onyejiuwa, Owerri
The Head of the Eternal Sacred Order of Cherubim & Seraphim Worldwide, His Most Eminence Dr David L Bob-Manuel (Orimolade IX), has again reiterated the need for restructuring of the country along the federal system, saying that it would resolve most of the challenges being faced by the country.
He also noted that the concentration of enormous powers in the hands of the President of the country is the sole reason why there is a fierce contest and struggle for the presidential seat.
The Prelate who is in Imo state for a pastoral visit stated this at the weekend while fielding questions from Journalists, pointed out that the major problem being faced by the nation is not practising real federalism even though it is claimed that the country is a federation but that the federating states are not autonomous.
The cleric said, “The major problem that we are facing in Nigeria is the adoption of the American presidential system from our former parliamentary system. Again, if we want a presidential system it has to be holistic. In the United States of America, the states are autonomous. For instance, the State of California has its own laws and systems which are different from the state of Texas, which is also the same for the state of New York and they all control their resources and taxes to the federal government.
But here in Nigeria even when we claim to practise a federal system, it is the federal government that takes everything and gives allocation to the states and that is why everybody wants to be president because it is the federal government which sits in Abuja that determines who gets what.
Continuing, This is the major problem we have in Nigeria. So, we need the restructuring of the system to reflect real federalism so that states can manage their resources and pay the appropriate taxes to the federal government. This is why everybody is struggling to be the president, but it is not so in the USA or in Canada. That is why we are praying that God should give us a leader with the wisdom with which to manage the affairs of the country very well.
He added, “We as a church, we don’t take part in partisan politics. Ours is to pray to God to give us the right leader and if the right leader comes we also pray for him to succeed in the administration of the country or the state as the case may be. You know that Nigeria is a complex country in the sense that Nigeria has over three hundred ethnic nationalities with different languages, cultures and traditions. In such a situation tribalism with not be out of place.
Also, the religion, we have more Christians in the south and the north is predominately Muslim. Don’t also forget that we have some who are of the traditional African religion. All these are challenges and based on this the ruling of this country becomes more complex and it requires a person who God has given the knowledge to carry everybody along to succeed.
Commenting on the just concluded presidential election Baba Aladura said, ” If there is any person elected, we thank God. But if the court eventually says otherwise so be it. It is not in my place to say it should be this person or that person.
This is why we should put our country in prayers, and it is the in course of our prayers that God will say who has been selected is our president, but if in the course of our prayers, God says otherwise may his will be done.”
