Posted by Tunde Adeleye, a former archbishop of the Calabar Anglican Diocese, has warned that Nigeria’s sociopolitical mess will continue unless the country embraces genuine federalism.
All of the sub-nationals, according to Adeleye, should be granted complete autonomy so that they can run their own affairs independently of the federal government.
After Rt. Rev. Godfrey Ifeanyichukwu Ekpenisi of the Anglican Diocese of Ika delivered a presentation yesterday evening on the topic of “Recovering Nigeria Through Transformal Leadership,” he was asked to speak in response.
Following Adeleye’s retirement two years ago, the Anglican Church in Calabar held the 2nd Birthday Colloquium in his honour.
It is the rejection of genuine federalism, according to Adeleye, that is the most pressing issue in Nigeria. Not the current kind of federalism, but the most authentic one should be adopted by the nation. The police, legislature, courts, schools, and control over resources should all be separate from one another in each federating unit.
“We shouldn’t sit around and wait for the federal government to hand down orders on every fundamental matter that the states can easily handle.”
“The same system shouldn’t be mandated in schools. It’s infeasible to send southern or western cops up north to enforce the law when they don’t know the area or its residents.
“If we don’t have good federalism, we’re fooling ourselves.”
According to the Anglican leader, Nigeria is not using the so-called presidential system that was adopted from the USA.
“The cry for mighty men with transformational leadership is a call to reawaken the young Nigerians to the norms, value and imperative realities,” stated Ekpenisi, the primary paper presenter.
The people of Nigeria must get their priorities straight and do all in their power to preserve the traditions that have been passed down to them. If this is carried out, we will be able to produce honest men to serve as our country’s representatives.