Anglican Bishop advocates return to regional, parliamentary government, as NASS restores old national anthem

An Anglican Bishop, Rt. Rev. Seun Adeoye, General Overseer of Sufficient Grace and Truth International Ministries (SGTIM), and spokesman of World Bishops’ Council in Africa, and Bishop of Worldwide Anglican Church (WAC) in Nigeria, has advocated for the revival to regional and parliamentary government in the country as in the era of the old national anthem inherited from the colonial masters, as the two chambers of the National Assembly restored the old national anthem of Nigeria.

The WAC International Communications Director, in a statement, on Wednesday in Osogbo, Osun State, noted that ‘returning the old orders was some of the restructuring many stakeholders in Nigeria have been clamouring for in the past 25 years’.

Rt. Rev. Seun Adeoye, argued that if the National Assembly considered it imperative to revive the old national anthem jettisoned 46 years ago, “nothing is wrong to restore old orders that helped grew the nation in the past”.

Bishop Adeoye highlighted: “The old anthem came with Nigeria’s independence in 1960 but was changed in 1978.

“The other old orders we inherited were the parliamentary and the regional systems of governments.

“Successful military governments came on board and bastardized and balkanized the systems. They took away the regional governments until three regions became 36 states. They took away the parliamentary and gave us the unitary system in 1966 and the presidential system in 1979.

“Yes, the military who came through the barrels of guns took away ‘Nigeria, we hail thee”, a national anthem some of us grew to know and sing and in 1978 gave us ‘Arise oh compatriot’.

“If after 46 years of jettisoning the old anthem, we still found it worthy and necessary to restore it into our national life, I think nothing is wrong when we bring back the old systems that had worked for us in the past.

“For me, I think Nigeria’s economy as it stands today is not strong enough to successfully funds the present presidential system of government and even bring about the expected developmental projects across Nigeria. Therefore, I suggest that we return to the parliamentary system as inherited from the British at independence in 1960.”

The Bishop emphasised that regionalism will help in cutting down the costs in the running of government businesses, adding: “it will also encourage healthy competition, leading to fast economic growth and infrastructural development among the regions as recorded in the early 60s”.