From Priscilla Ediare Ado-Ekiti

Chief Wole Olanipekun has expressed concerns that only Nigeria was resisting true federalism among the nations of the world practising democracy, saying the country would achieve accelerated development if fully federalised and democratised.

The Senior Advocate of Nigeria, who remarked that he was in support of some governors stalemating the passage of the amendment bill, noted that it was the governors’ insistence that state police must be approved for subnational stratum to stem the tide of insurgency,  killings and kidnapping of Nigerians.

He spoke in his Ikere Ekiti country home, yesterday, while presenting over N30 million cash gift  to students, youths, aged and widows, to mark the  2022 edition of Wole Olanipekun Scholarship and Empowerment Schemes.

On the state of the nation, Olanipekun said: “We’re having this stalemate in the Constitution amendment because some governors expressed reservations that they will only accept the passage if State Police is approved. That is, something like state autonomy.

“I support the governors on this.  Nigeria is the only country that practices democracy, where we have only one Police Formation being controlled from Abuja, and this is failing us, this is wronging the system.

“Let us look at our land mass from Calabar to Kaura Namoda, from  Bayelsa to Borno, how can it be secured by only the federal police? Look at the size of the Southwest, can it be policed by only federal police? Even in Lagos alone, it is wrong to have only one Police Formation.

“Let us look at London, it has London Metropolitan Police. Harvard University alone has Havard University Police Department. Looking at all these, why are we different? Why are our people like this? Why are they failing to allow Nigeria to be fully federalised and  democratized?

“Even in the legal profession, we are facing a lot of challenges that started under Gen. Sanni Abacha’s era. Abacha took all the jurisdictional powers of the State High Courts and taken to the Federal High Courts through  Decree 7 of 1994. That was the beginning of the problem we are facing today in Nigeria’s legal profession.

“The jurisdiction of the state high courts is subject to the jurisdiction of the federal high courts, even when the federal high courts were mere revenue courts. This is a jurisdictional fallacy, it can’t work, it has been failing us. The governors views were clear. They are not asking for what is Utopian, but what ought to be under an ideal democratic situation. So, I align myself totally with the reservations of these governors.”

Olanipekun, who revealed that 1,475 persons had benefited from the scholarship and empowerment schemes as at 2021, urged the youths and students to shun Internet fraud, kidnapping, ritual killing  and other vices to safeguard their future.

He said the schemes were conceptualised by him 26 years ago to vanish poverty, liberate the people  and propel education among the children of the poor.

The legal icon urged the new Ekiti State Governor, Biodun Oyebanji to place high premium priority on the development of the state’s Infrastructure, Education and Internal Security sectors by strengthening Amotekun Corps to provide adequate security and rejuvenate the economy.

Governor Oyebanji, said he was thrilled by the schemes endowed by Olanipekun, promising to replicate similar scheme in his Ikogosi Ekiti country home to help humanity.

“Government can’t do it alone, I want to appeal to the people of means to help Ekiti to develop education. Whatever you do for humanity is the best.”