By Chukwudi Nweje
Pan Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, has urged the incoming administration of Bola Tinubu to run an inclusive government where constituent parts of the country, such as states and local government councils, have greater control of resources within their jurisdictions.
The organisation said the dysfunctional nature of the country was the primary reason for hike in banditry, agitations for separatism and lately the tendency by many to to leave the country in what is code-named ‘Japa syndrome’.
It also called on Tinubu to ensure that he hits the ground running to put an end to these dysfunctional tendencies saying they stand as stumbling blocks to the development of the country.
In a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, yesterday , the Yoruba group expressed the hope that the inauguration of Tinubu as president would herald a new lease of life in the country.
“Whether you call it restructuring or what have you, the important idea is to enable each component of the country to be able to marshal its resources for the overall benefits of its citizens. Luckily, some inhibiting sections of the 1999 Constitution have been amended to make this possible. The amendments should continue under Tinubu’s administration until we get to a stage where component parts will have their destinies in their own hands as was the case during the First Republic.”
Ajayi said Tinubu seems to be conscious of this when he asserted that ‘Our nation’s progress rests on the inclusivity, unity and not leaving any citizen behind and ensuring that every citizen enjoys the dividends of good governance.”
He urged Tinubu to live up to his promise of dedicating his “entire being to the service of our great nation and the African continent.”
He further expressed confidence that “Tinubu will assemble a goals-getting team that will enable him translate his dreams for new and better Nigeria into reality. These dreams include calming fray nerves among various sections of the country, restoring security and safety of lives and properties, shoring up the economy, revamping our collapsed educational system, overhauling the dilapidated infrastructure, creating jobs and restoring the dashed hopes of youths in the country.”
Ajayi also tasked the new government “to set Nigeria on the path of industrialisation into the comity of most advanced countries in the world in social, economic and political terms within the shortest time possible.”
He urged the incoming administration to cut down on the cost of governance to save resources for critical sectors of the economy.
He called on separatist groups agitating for independent states like Biafra, Oduduwa Republic among others to give the Tinubu administration a chance.
“We heard that some youths, earlier on Sunday May 28, eve of the inauguration of Asiwaju Tinubu administration, infiltrated Amuludun Radio station in Moniya, Ibadan to declare a ‘Yoruba Nation’. We consider this as inauspicious and ill-timed. We therefore call on all those who are agitating for carving out different countries out of Nigeria to give the new administration of Bola Tinubu a chance. We are confident that he will calm fray nerves by building a country in which everyone would have a sense of belonging.”