Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state has described the on going National Assembly consultation with people about constitutional review as “a waste of time”.
The governor said this on Saturday while speaking in an interview programme, “Meet the Governor”, to mark his two years in office anniversary, on Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo state (BCOS).
According to the governor, the time has come for Nigerians to fundamentally change how we relate in the country, saying, Nigerians cannot keep blaming the military.
“We need to fundamentally change how we relate in this country and we cannot keep blaming the military. The National Assembly say they are consulting with people about constitutional review but I think it’s a waste of time”, he said.
Gov Makinde added, “we will still need to work hard. We need the support of the people. It’s not about zoning for presidency. We need a country where people can actualise their dreams. People have legitimate reasons to be apprehensive about state policing so we need to address their concerns”.
On the recent position of the Southern Governors Forum, the governor said the position of the governors at the Asaba meeting was for the development of Nigeria in general.
“What we are fighting for, is central to the development of this country. States should be able to enforce the laws in their states. People ask me about Yoruba presidency and I say what we need now is not that but restructuring. I am not saying it is a magic bullet.
The governor stressed, “we signed ban on open grazing in Nov 2019 and needed the support of the federal agencies for the enforcement and implementation which we didn’t really get. In Asaba, anti open grazing was one of the resolutions reached but the crux is the restructuring the country.”
Speaking on Oyo state, Governor Makinde cautioned that he should not be distracted with the issue of second term in office for now, saying, it will be too early to be talking about second term now that he is midway into his tenure of office.
