Governor of Ondo state, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, has said many promises of June 12 have been dashed, adding that there was no serious attempt to redesign the security architecture to respond to the demands of a nascent country as at the time of independence.
Akeredolu who spoke in Akure at the 2021 Democracy Day celebration insisted that every federating unit in the country should have its own police for effective security.
The Ondo Governor declared that local government could not be absolute autonomous and that the Federal Government should have no control, whatsoever, on how a Local Government is run in a State of the Federation.
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“Let every state determine the number of local governments it wishes to have for effective administration. The civil service must respond to the current realities for relevance. Let the extent of wealth creation form the basis of establishing local administrations. It does not make any economic sense to create as many local governments as the politics of revenue sharing will permit.
“Governors must be Chief Executive Officers answerable only to the people indeed. The law must empower them to harness the resources in their respective States for the benefit of those who voted for them. They must not be subjected to any external control as equal partners in a federation unless when it is absolutely necessary.
“They must be able to mobilise the people for socio-economic activities with minimal interference from the government at the centre. This will enhance their ability to protect their people from rampaging marauders and other criminals who wreck their peace in perpetuity.
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“The message which was produced June 12, 1993, was “Farewell to Poverty”. Our people looked forward to a better Nigeria where every citizen would be proud. The hope was dashed. We have been trying to rekindle the light of realistic expectations since 1999. The political journey proceeds in fits and starts. The ride has been bumpy, creating doubts and suspicion on the genuineness of intentions.
“The problems are, however, surmountable if all are sincere in finding lasting solutions to the existential issues confronting us. That should be the lesson derivable from the June 12 annulment and the symbolic revalidation.”