A presidential candidate in the 2019 general elections, Mr Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to transmit a bill to the National Assembly for the restructuring of the country.
Speaking with newsmen in Abuja, he said the time has come for all sides in the raging debate on the structure of the country to reach a compromise in the interest of unity, peace, security and development of the nation.
He said, “the federal government cannot continue to do nothing about the devolution of power, especially on clear items that are practicable and achievable.”
He said a compromise driven by the federal executive via a constitutional amendment bill on sections dealing with the concurrent, exclusive and residual legislative list is possible.
He said: “It is time for us to agree on things that are agreeable and continue to discuss things that are not clear but may become clearer in the future. Compromise is never a sign of weakness but a noble act that springs from the depth of wisdom, honour and kindness.
“Some of the areas where there exists clear national consensus include: creation of states and local government police, side by side with the federal police, to make policing more efficient and to bolster national security.
“Amendment to enable state governments to have some control over the development of all mineral resources in the inland basins; amendment to ensure concurrent jurisdiction of federal and state governments over electricity generation, transmission and distribution.”
The issues, he said, do not require the drama and time-consuming activities of a national conference.
“A simple executive-sponsored constitutional amendment bill narrowed to the aforementioned clearly defined items may get a resounding support if properly managed with the 36 governors in Nigeria, as well as speakers of the states’ assembly.
“The requirements for 2/3rd support from the states’ assembly of the federation will be achievable to meet the constitutional requirement of a valid amendment
“Nigerians must move forward together in peace and harmony. Nation-building will not be completed in one day. There will still be life after 2023 and I am optimistic that Nigeria will survive and other issues can be looked into after 2023 elections by the grace of God,” Olawepo-Hashim said.
Stressing that the indivisibility and indissolubility of Nigeria is sacrosanct, he said: “This is not a cliche; it was what our forefathers settled for at the Lancaster Conference of 1958. It was a clause proposed by the great Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe, the leader of the Eastern delegation and was agreed to by all that ‘Nigeria shall exist in perpetuity’.”
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