By MUSA jibril
The new Aare Ona Kakanfo-designate of Yoruba land, Otunba Gani Adams has said that achieving true federalism is the urgent objective before the leaders and people of Southwest Nigeria. He stated this in an interview with Saturday Sun during the grand finale of the annual Olokun festival held at the Suntan Beach, Badagry, Lagos.
“We are talking about restructuring––what politicians call true federalism––which in a proper arrangement, is called federal system of government, not the system we are running now that is completely a unitary system of government,” he said.
Adams, who observed that true federalism was the foundation of Nigeria’s independence in 1960 and the basis of the republic constitution in 1963, argued that it is the pragmatic system that affords each geographical zone the luxury to develop at their own pace. He said “without restructuring this country there is no way Nigeria can move forward.” He noted how the lack of it has been inimical to the development of the country. “We have been over-dependent on allocations coming from the centre and we have not been creative in our government levels, and at the same time, private initiatives have not thrived,” he said.
Adams, who is also the national coordinator, Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and convener, Oodua Progressive Union (OPU), gave a hint on how his new position as Aare Ona Kakanfo, proclaimed by the Alaafin of Oyo on October 15, will impact on his leadership of the pro-Yoruba organisations he has been leading for many years.
“Being Aare Ona Kakanfo will energise me to foster unity in Yoruba land and to project the Yoruba culture more; it will assist me to defend the interests of Yoruba land better, and also to defend the interest of Nigeria in general on the basis of justice and equity,” he declared.
In the same breath, he dispelled the notion that he would be pursuing a narrow agenda of ethnic prerogatives. “My cause is not only about Yoruba; it is about justice in the whole world,” he avowed. “I do not support the Yoruba people doing wrong against other people, and vice versa. Every human being comes from God, therefore, anything I do will be on the basis of justice so I can enjoy the happiness and prosperity of God.”