People change when they get to the centre – Sanwo-Olu

Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State has said there is a mystery about the central government which makes people change as soon as they transit from the state to the federal government.

Sanwo-Olu spoke in Lagos at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) during the National Dialogue on the constitutional future of Nigeria in Honour of a renowned constitutional lawyer, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, organised by the Patriots (A Pan Nigerian Group of Eminent National Leaders of Thought) with the theme, “Lawful Procedures for Actualising a People’s Constitution for Nigeria.”

Eminent personalities converged at the programme to discuss the imperative of a truly people’s constitution with stakeholders and elder statesmen calling for the abolition of the present 1999 constitution.

Guest Speaker, Mike Ozekhome, tasked the National Assembly to set up a National Referendum Commission that would collate all recommendations towards driving a new constitution.

Sanwo-Olu in his goodwill message backed the agitation for a truly federal constitution for Nigeria in order to devolve power to the states.

For instance he said it was an anomaly for a federal agency to control the water ways in Lagos.

He said it was regrettable that people who are advocates of true federalism suddenly change as soon as they get to the Centre.

He however said the conversation around the making of a new constitution should be driven further recalling that there have been several discussions in the past which have not addressed the lingering issues.

He said, “We must take this conversation and make it very effective. It’s for the National Assembly to constitute a law where these people would come together. It’s something very simple. Why do we have a federal agency controlling waterways in Lagos?

“You would see state officials fighting the same course, the moment they get to federal they changed 360 degrees. I’m wondering what is going on, what’s happening. I don’t know what’s happening.”

According to him, there is a mystery about the central government which must be unraveled.

“There’s something about the federal that shocks everybody, we need to be bold to unravel this. Let us be able to make the change we desire. Let the soul of Prof. Ben Nwabueze rest in peace.”