Teslim Folarin, senator
representing Oyo central, has demanded the removal of the exclusive list from
the 1999 constitution currently being amended by the national assembly.
The list spells out areas where
power is reserved exclusively for the federal government to legislate upon.
Some of the items featured
include citizenship, aviation, military, public debt, mineral resources,
foreign affairs among others.
Addressing journalists in Ibadan
on Sunday, Folarin, who is a member of the senate constitutional amendment
committee, also said Nigeria cannot have sustainable development unless it is
restructured.
The All Progressives Congress
(APC) lawmaker said the removal of the exclusive list from the constitution
will enable states to grow at their own pace.
“I belong to the restructuring
school of thought. There is something in the constitution that is called the
exclusive list; we need to get rid of that,” he said.
“Once we get rid of the exclusive
list, we are home and dry. What it means is that every state will have to
develop at its own pace and then we can begin to hold our leaders accountable.”
The senator also condemned the
present federal allocation system, arguing that it has never worked in the
interest of the country.
“Nigeria is a beautiful country
but that is if we all get it right. This idea of one cap fits all cannot get us
anywhere. It has never worked and it won’t work,” he said.
“It is not sustainable; every
month, they (states) go to Abuja to share money and come back. It breeds
laziness, nobody is thinking. Oyo state is the biggest producer of cassava
after overtaking Edo state.
“If you have seen a paper that
states the natural resources of every state, you will not believe the sort of
resources we have; it is unbelievable.
“I was talking about exclusive list; how can
you say the land that has all the natural resources will be controlled by the
federal government? It won’t work. We will do our best. Whether you have
Oduduwa Republic or whatever, I don’t believe it.”
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