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A member representing Ede, Ejigbo and Egbedore Federal Constituency at the Federal house of representatives and Vice Chairman, House Committee on Pension, Hon. Bamidele Salam has berated the deformities in Nigeria Constitution which has turned Local Government System into appendage of the State government.
Hon. Salam made this known while delivering his lecture at the 2022 Annual Lecture of the Osun State Council of Nigerian Union of Journalist on the theme: Nigeria @ 62: Poverty, Insecurity and the Search for a workable Constitution.
According to him, “State Governors are in total control of Local Government resources which has hindered Local Government to perform its obligation.
“The more the government is closer to people, the more effective efficient and impactful it is to the people at the grassroots but Governors have killed the tier” he added.
While addressing the various challenges the country has encountered through maladministration and mismanagement of resources at the federal level, Hon Salami attributed this to the power given to the federal Government in Allocation of resources.
The lawmaker advocated that constitution be amended to reduce number of Ministers to 15 adding that two ministers per Geo political zones and only 9 commissioners when Aides and agencies are reduced to the nearest minimum.
Hon Salam who stated that much money is spent on elections just as a whooping sum of ₦305 billion has been appropriated for 2023 elections can sufficiently provide 35,000 blocks of classrooms, 83,334 solar powered boreholes and about 38,462 primary health centres for Nigeria.
In order to reduce the cost of governance, Hon Salami advocated for unicameral legislature where Senate will only be appointed on part time and only converge when to confirm federal appointments or other functions in order to cut cost.
He charged Government to look into porous borders where illegal immigrant penetrate into the nation unabated.
Also speaking, Former Nigeria ambassador to Phillippines, Dr. Yemi Farounbi has likened Nigeria to a computer set where its hard copies have crashed and soft copy attacked by virus.
He condemned arrays of aides paraded by political office holders and charged them to reduce and divert such fund for developmental projects.
Dr Farounbi pointed out that no state government enjoys 1% of federal allocation whereas the federal only controls 53% of the allocation.
In her words, Osun State Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mrs Funke Egbemode, while declaring the press week open commended journalists and people of the state for supporting the adminstration of Governor Oyetola.
Dignitaries at the event include: Former Nigerian Ambassador to Philippines, Dr. Yemi Farounbi, who was the chairman of the occasion; National Secretary of APC, Senator Iyiola Omisore, who was represented by Special Adviser to Governor Gboyega Oyetola, Hon. Jamiu Olawumi.
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