Constitution review: Omo- Agege has justified Afenifere, OPC’s stand ― Gani Adams

Aare Ona Kakanfo of Yoruba land, Iba Gani Adams, on Tuesday affirmed that the statement credited to deputy Senate president, Senator Ovie Omo- Agege saying Nigeria should not expect new constitution has justified position of pan- Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, Oodua People’s Congress (OPC), among others that no good thing can come out of the ongoing constitution review exercise by the National Assembly.

It will be recalled that the deputy Senate president, Omo-Agege, had, in a published report, declared that the National Assembly had no power to replace the current constitution with new one, but could only amend it.

Omo-Agege’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Yomi Odunuga, made this known in a statement, citing advanced democracies, such as the United States (US), which Nigeria’s presidential system of government was modelled after and sections 8 and 9 of the 1999 Constitution as amended to buttress his argument.

According to Omo-Agege, what is only obtainable is a piecemeal alteration of the constitution by the National Assembly, urging those calling for a new constitution to channel their energy toward participating actively in the ongoing amendment of the constitution by the 9th Assembly.

Iba Adams made this declaration at a press conference which took place at his Omole Phase 11 residence in Magodo area of Lagos, even as he gave kudos to the deputy senate president for alerting the citizens early enough not to waste their time in involving themselves in intellectual exercise that would produce nothing in moving the country forward.

Besides, the Yoruba generalissimo said the outburst by Senator Omo-Agege offered an opportunity for Nigerians to continue agitating for true federalism instead of wasting their time to send memorandum to the parliament, declaring that what the country needed most now is a new constitution for true federalism and not even constitutional amendment as being pursued by the National Assembly.

Reacting to Omo-Agege’s statement, Iba Adams said: “The statement from the deputy senate president has justified our position that no good thing can come out from this constitutional review from the parliament. And he has given us a position that we should continue agitating for true federalism instead of wasting our time to send memorandum to the parliament because what Nigeria needs most now is a new constitution for true federalism.

“It’s not even constitutional amendment and I give kudos to the deputy senate president for saying the truth early enough so that he would not allow Nigerians to continue to engage in intellectual exercise on the ongoing constitution review.”

Iba Adams, however, reiterated that the country had to operate true federal system in line with the 1960 Independence and 1963 Republican constitution respectively for her to move forward, declaring that this was imperative as the country, according to him, could not survive the next three years doing anything short of that.

“And for Nigeria to move forward, we have to go back to true Federalism, how we got our independence in 1960 and how we agreed on Republican Constitution in 1963. It is very very important. Anything short of that, I don’t believe this nation can survive the next three years,” said Adams.

Speaking further, the Aare Ona Kakanfo argued that the country should be restructured to regionalism, saying that the existing six geo-political zones should be allowed to operate based on regions, with Abuja still maintaining its status as the federal capital.

“So if the region generates N100 each, N20 or N25 should be given to federal because there is no way we can continue the way we are, and we would have 24-hour uninterrupted power supply.

“I think the Federal Government should allow regions to control their electricity, allow regions to control their rail transport, which is the most cheapest in the world but in Nigerian mentality now, it is the costliest apart from the air transport. It is so sad, I think the Minister of Transportation should review the cost downward.

“At the same time, Federal Government shouldn’t have ministry of water resources, what are they doing with ministry of water resources? It should be the responsibility of region and states.

“And the issue of security, Nigeria with population of 200 million, geographical spread of 1000 square kilometers, I believe we should have three or four layers of police – federal police, regional police, state police, local government police. There is no way we can continue with one structure of police and we would have a very good security system in Nigeria because all crimes are local,” he said.

This was just as Iba Adams frowned at the recent statement made by Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, following the failed reconciliation meeting that took place at the Lekki residence of Chief Ayo Adebanjo between the former president and himself, saying that Obasanjo had the right to say that there was no reconciliation “but he did not have the right to condemn my character and I don’t know what Baba Obasanjo meant about my character.”

Adams pointedly said that to his knowledge, Obasanjo and himself didn’t share same character because the ex-president was not a progressive when he was in office and after living office, declaring: “Definitely we don’t share the same character, so, I can’t be of the same character with somebody who is not a progressive.”

Speaking on Obasanjo’s denial that no reconciliation parley took place at the Lekki residence of elder statesman, Chief Adebanjo, the Yoruba generalissimo, while maintaining that he as a progressive shared no same character with former President Obasanjo, disclosed that he had never requested for any visit to him and never knew where such information emanated from that he twice sought to visit Obasanjo but the request was turned down.

It would be recalled that Obasanjo, following the reconciliation meeting issued a statement denying such. He described the Lekki meeting as a coincidence, even as he recalled that as a president and as a private citizen, he had refused to grant audience to Iba Adams on account of his “past way of life, which was not in accord with my standards and principles.”

The statement issued by the special assistant to the former president on media, Mr. Kehinde Akinyemi, read in part: “It is true that I paid a personal visit to Chief Ayo Adebanjo at his residence in Lekki Phase 1 on December 2, 2020 and I met Gani Adams there.

“I have no quarrel with Gani Adams, but for his past way of life, which was not in accord with my standards and principles. I have in the past, both in government and out of government, refused to grant Gani’s request to visit me.

“If at all anybody feels I have a quarrel with him or her that needs reconciliation, such reconciliation will, no doubt, take place in my residence in Abeokuta only.”

But Adams, while expressing disgust over Obasanjo’s reaction, said he could not keep quiet without a response, because his image was as at stake as the only thing he earned in life is his my name, declaring: “So I don’t toy with anybody that would assassinate my character.”

This was just as he said he had foreclosed ever going to the former president’s house for any meeting since he had spoken “about my character.”

“Well, that one has been foreclosed, I would never go to his house anymore because assuming he didn’t talk about my character, a person you don’t like his character you would not welcome him anymore.

“So he has already said that he doesn’t like my character, so somebody you don’t like his character you can’t even invite him to come to your house and hold any meeting in your house,” Iba Adams vowed.

YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

ICYMI: Nigeria Back Into Recession, Worst Since 1987

Nigeria is back into a recession. This time, it is the worst the country has experienced since 1987…

ICYMI: Why We Can’t Call Off Strike Now –ASUU 

It is still uncertain whether the ongoing strike by the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) will end soon as the president of the union, Professor ‘Biodun Ogunyemi has said there are certain steps to be taken to reach a final conclusion on the issue…