Father of Dimeji Bankole, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Alani Bankole has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to return Nigeria to a parliamentary system of government thereby becoming Nigeria’s last president.
Bankole said one of the causes of Nigeria’s many problems is that the country is running a presidential system of government it is not yet ripe for.
While speaking in an interview with newsmen in his Abeokuta home, Bankole said returning to a parliamentary system of government will be the greatest gift the Buhari presidency will ever give Nigerians.
He harped on the need to stop running the presidential system of government because it has concentrated too many powers on the president.
Bankole who is also the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) warned that restructuring which will afford too many powers to the state governments should be rejected by President Buhari, adding that it will worsen Nigeria’s challenges rather than reduce it.
“The best gift President Buhari can give to Nigeria, if truly he wants to fight corruption which I believe he is fighting, is for him to reverse the presidential system to the parliamentary system of government.
“The presidential system has concentrated too many powers in the hands of the president. Also, those practising politics in Nigeria are not ripe enough to practice the presidential system of government.
“If Nigeria is restructured by giving more power to the state governments, in my opinion, it will only worsen the system.
“How do we explain in the case of Ogun State where all the resources of the state have been spent on only two local governments, what then happens to the rest of the 18 local governments.
“Therefore, if President Buhari wants to be remembered well, he should return our system of government to parliamentary system. He should be the last president.
“Honestly, Nigeria is going to the point of collapse and the only thing that can be done to rescue the situation is for the president to go back to the parliamentary system of government,” he added