EDKogi State Governor has sounded a note of warning to the southern governors who blame President Muhammadu Buhari for their woes.
He bared his mind on Channels TV’s programme ‘Politics Today’ which was monitored by The Vent Republic. He said that there was no basis for the clamour for restructuring as Buhari had already restructured the nation along legislative and judicial lines as well as granted autonomy to the local governments.
He said: “Let me caution each and every one of us, leaders across board including governors and all of the leaders across Nigeria that we should be careful about the words we use. When we are talking of security, unity and national cohesion of Nigeria, as leaders and politicians, we should be careful about the words we use when we are addressing these various topical issues.
“When we talk about restructuring or the various demands or resolutions put across by my colleagues from the South, they are quite germane and they are entitled to their opinions and I so respect it but when it is titled or when it appears as if you are fighting President Muhammadu Buhari, our father and our President, we are all getting it wrong because we get to where we are today as a result of maladministration of successive administrations.”
Continuing, the Governor said, “There have been collective failures across board, so let’s not just blame it alone on the federal government or Mr President alone.
“When we talk of restructuring, Mr President believes in restructuring, I believe in restructuring, all of us believe in restructuring but when we are talking of restructuring, from what angle to what? Which context?
“I will describe my own context about restructuring that first, from what Mr President has done by ensuring signing Order 10 signing autonomy to local governments, legislature and judiciary. That is restructuring. How many of us are practising all of these in our states? How many of us have given full autonomy to local governments? Mr President has signed it.”
Bello challenged the governors to start the change they want to see from their states by granting judicial and local government autonomy in their states.
He continued: “At various levels, whatever we are demanding, let us make sure we practise it at home. If we are demanding zoning, let’s make sure we start the zoning from home, if we are demanding equity, let’s make sure there is equity at home. If we are demanding fairness, let’s make sure there is fairness at home. If we are demanding good governance, let’s start good governance at home.”
The governor, who is believed to have an ambition for the 2023 Presidency, also blasted the Southern governors for banning open grazing without providing ranches for herders, adding that the insecurity arising from farmers-herders crisis was political.
“I have not banned open grazing in Kogi State because there is no provision for ranching,” the governor said, even as he agreed that open grazing was “archaic and anachronistic.
ED
