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– He says that Buhari will not implement the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference
– Akintola says that there is great need for Nigeria to operate a federal system
– He said Jonathan was not sincere enough to make some implementation of the confab report
The senior advocate said he doesn’t see Buhari implementing the 2014 conference report because Buhari “isn’t a politician and he doesn’t understand the political arithmetic of Nigeria and he doesn’t understand the political geography.
Chief Akintola says Buhari lacks the true understanding of Nigeria.
Of course, he has been Head of State before, he has been governor, he has been a minister but he still doesn’t understand the complexity of the structure.
He isn’t in the mould of an Obasanjo or a Babangida. Even when you look at his exposure and administrative style, it is a style that is patterned after his military background.
Everything he does, even in speech presentation, even in body language. So, he isn’t a politician in the mould of Obasanjo and Babangida who are military-politicians.
For instance, IBB knows everybody that is somebody in this country; he will address them by their first name; Obasanjo knows everybody that is somebody in every nook and cranny of the country. These are people who understand Nigeria and they know it in and out.”
Akintola further opined that “Buhari belongs to that old, conservative school; so you cannot cast him in the same mould with Atiku. Atiku is a seasoned politician and he has interacted and he is still interacting with people across the length and breadth of the country and he knows the danger that is ahead of us as a nation; he knows that we are yet to build a nation, that we are still a country of many nationalities and there is need for us to operate a genuine federal system of government.
There is no different federal system of government; you are either practising it or you aren’t and one of the cardinal principles of federalism is that every component part should be allowed to develop at its own pace. But see what we are having today.
Why are many states having problem? Why should states, like Gombe, Ekiti, Ebonyi, be comparing themselves with Lagos, Akwa-Ibom and Rivers? It is only mad people that will be doing the same thing, using the same method and be expecting different result. What we are practising cannot help this country and it is high time we appreciate that.
For instance, I am from Oyo State; my state doesn’t have crude oil and its likelihood of it having it is remote, but we have the population, which is an asset and we have the capital base. If you practise true federalism, my state will be richer than Bayelsa and Rivers put together.
The state of California doesn’t have crude oil but it is richer than Texas. If you pass your pipeline through my line, you pay for every inch it occupies! We brought that to the fore at the confab that there is no need for any state to be afraid. It is ignorance of the principle of federalism, of the law, of the political arithmetic of the country that is causing the problem.
If people truly appreciate what federalism entails, how it is practiced in civilized world, they will know that a state like Kano should be the first to embrace it because of its huge population,” Akintola stressed.
Drawing an analogy, Akintola said: “Why do you think the South African president rushed to Nigeria because of MTN? It is because of our population; they have the technological know how in Africa, they own Shoprite, they own MTN but they don’t have the market base.
So, when Nigeria sneezes, South Africa will catch cold. States like Sokoto, Oyo, Kano, have no reason to fear the oil producing states because they have what it takes to even be richer than them. Bayelsa will not
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