It is time some one
tells the Nigerian people the real truth about the Lagos State Local Government
issue which some people have turned into politics. Nobody is against the
creation or more states in Lagos State. The issue on ground is the inability of
the Lagos State Government to secure a majority, to have the Federal House of
Representative assent to it. If the Action Congress had the majority today in
the Federal House of Representatives Lagos State will be singing a different
tune. So why blame their inability to secure a majority to pass their request,
as demanded by the constitution on Mr. President. The Yorubas called Olusegun
Aremu Obasanjo several names for not turning a deaf ear to constitutional
provision. Many Lagosians disowned him as a Yoruba man.
Mr. President in his address on the issue said he gave the Lagos Government time
to obtain the constitutional provision for the creation of fifty seven local
governments. Senator Mamora in his address accepted that Senator Afikuyomi
brought up the matter but had no political will to make it scale through. What
was this political will; the ability to convince non Action Congress House of
Representative members to support the bill.
Obviously Action Congress members knew they would not be able to convince other
members to support them especially since they made the issue political during
the Obasanjo regime.
No doubt Lagos State under Senator Bola Ahmed Tjnubu felt they would not need an
ally to have their way through because they expected the Action Congress Party
to sweep the last election.
It is clear that their mathematics did not work and that their chances of
'sweeping the problem' under the carpet will not work. Hence the recent cry of
marginalization, victimization etc.
It is high time these Politicians with military mentality begin to realize that
in a true democracy we need to compromise and dialogue with the opposition
sometimes to have our way. This winner takes all attitude which is very rampant
in the South West States cannot get us to the Promised Land. For years some
leaders in the South West have fed us with “I No Go Gree” as breakfast, lunch
and supper. It is a pity that whiles these leaders and their children have being
eating three square meals since Independence others have been “Belt Tightening”
and feeding on the crumbs falling from the leaders table.
Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his Action Congress members must bury their pride and
dialogue with PDP in Lagos State to get this bill through if they really love
Lagos State. There is no other way out of this mess since it has been turned
into a political issue. It is an exercise in futility mobilizing the Obas, the
people of Lagos to support an action contrary to constitutional provision. The
grass we are told will always suffer when two elephants fight. The people of
Lagos State are suffering in silence because they dare not sing a different tune
to what Bola Ahmed Tinubu sings. What crime did Abacha commit other than making
sure other people's voices are not heard?
While Mr. President talks about upholding the constitution, some people in Lagos
State are asking that the provisions of the constitution be circumvented because
Lagos state can not get its bill passed constitutionally in the Federal House of
Representatives. Wouldn’t we be creating precedence for other states to follow?
Why must some group of people believe they are above the law? Why must they
resort to telling lies in order to give Mr. President a bad name?
It might be necessary to warn that there is no way the Federal House of
Representative will accent to Lagos State demand if the Action Congress
continues to politicize the issue. The President has said that the constitution
will not be compromised. In other words some local Government Chairmen may end
up serving some jail terms. I hear some voices telling me political prisoners
made it to the top in Nigeria. Well we wish them luck.
Femi Robinson.
Published
August 4th, 2009