Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu, has faulted calls for true federalism by prominent Nigerian politicians, saying many of them do not understand what the concept entails.
He said this yesterday while presenting a lecture on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Department of Psychology, University of Ibadan.
The minister criticized true federalism crusaders, particularly South-West, accusing them of failing to uphold the tenets of the concept by refusing to conduct local government elections.
He said, “A lot of people from the South West especially the state governors have been making repeated calls for true federalism. But, it is always a problem to define what true federalism means.
“Among the state governors making the call for true federalism are those who have not conducted local government elections.
They have refused to conduct the election that would make them autonomous. They have always been appointing caretaker chairmen for the councils.”
While speaking on the topic, “Psychology and the Change Agenda”, he said, “A lot of times, most of the resources of the local governments are controlled by these state governments. What examples are they giving? They should first provide good examples in their various states before clamouring for true federalism.”
He commended the anti-corruption stance of President Muhammadu Buhari, stating that “change is important to leaders of governments, communities, corporations and nations around the world. In Nigeria, the change mantra of the administration of President Buhari is now widely known within and outside Nigeria. The change is expected to cover all spheres to cover all spheres of life.”
The Head of the department, Prof. Benjamin Ehigie, listed several achievements of the department, particularly in the last 10 years.
He said, “For the decade that has just passed, the department has recorded lots of achievements. Apart from those already mentioned, the department has produced 11 first class graduates.
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