An elder statesman, Chief David Edebiri, the Esogba of Benin Kingdom, has said that Nigeria derailed from the path of progress and development when it discarded the parliamentary system of government and embraced the presidential system.
Edebiri, said this in Benin on Friday during his 93rd birthday celebration and the unveiling of his three books- “Tripod of Life: Essence of Benin Tradition and Culture”; The Life and Times of Iyase N’Ohenmwen,” and “Immortalizing our Heros Past: Nigerian Nationalists in Focus” in Benin City, Edo State.
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The elder statesman said, “We derailed from the path a long time ago when we threw away the parliamentary system we learnt from the British government 100 years ago and changed to the presidential system of the American government.
“We went into the presidential system haphazardly and what we are operating now is neither British nor American system of government and that was where the problem lies.
“If you want to adopt a system, you adopt it wholeheartedly. Today, our judiciary is still the British system, yet we are running a presidential government.”
He said some people who envisaged the problem in the past have been agitating for a return to the parliamentary system of government but to no avail, adding that “it is too late to change now”.
Edebiri said, “People are crying that Nigeria is indebted to so many countries, and it is because of the system we adopted which is not working for us.
“We are running a system that we don’t understand and people are running into politics not because they love Nigeria but because of what they are going to gain, that is not how it used to be. We fought for this country so that we can be free not because we wanted to be senators.”
In his welcome address, the Chairman, Planning Committee, Prof C. E Ugolo said the launching of the three books makes a total of 11 books from his stable.
Daily Trust reports that the books were presented by Prof Benson Osadolor, the former Vice Chancellor of the Ambrose Ali University Ekpoma and Prof Eddy Erahagbe, former Dean Faculty of Arts, University of Benin.
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