Leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural organization, Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, has said that Nigeria cannot have good government with Hausa, Igbo and Yoruba in the nation.
Adebanjo disclosed this in Lagos, at the presentation of a book, ‘Policing the Nigeria Police’, authored by Chief Simon Okeke, a former chairman of the Police Service Commission.
He pointed out the urgent need for restructuring in Nigeria, adding that restructuring is not just a mere philosophy but a necessary step in achieving true federalism.
He noted that the agitation for a constitutional change has become imperative after the recent Supreme Court judgment, stating the need to adopt the principles of federalism to gaurantee peace and progress for the nation
He equally called for an end to the 1999 Constitution in order to have true federalism to address the challenges confronting Nigeria.
Pa Adebanjo said, “Federalism is a system by which various nationalities come together under one government. You can never have a good government with several nations; Yoruba, Igbo, Hausa under a unitary form of government, you will be having chaos.”
Commenting on the need for state police, Adebanjo said if the Federal Government is committed to tackling insecurity, there was need for a full implementation of state police.
He stated further that no state government can get adequate security if the institution controlling in the security architecture does not reside in the state.
The Presidential Candidate of the Labor Party and former governor of Anambra state, Peter Obi, urged Nigerian citizens and specifically those in positions of power to continue striving for the betterment of the country.
Obi called for unity and prayer, stressinf the importance of using public funds for the greater good.
The publisher of the book, Ray Ekpu noted that the author believed that Nigeria, a federation, should not have unitary police establishment and called on the president to implement state police to adequately safeguard the lives and properties of Nigerians at the state level.
He cited that the PSC was first created by the Independence Constitution of 1960 noting that it remained strong until the appointment of Inspectors-General of Police was transferred to the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.
