Bode George to Tinubu: Time to restructure Nigeria is now

Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George, on Thursday, advised President Bola Tinubu that restructuring of the country “is long overdue”.
George, a former Military Governor of old Ondo State (1987 – 1990), also declared that giving palliatives to Nigerians “is not sustainable”.

The Atona Oodua of Yorubaland, who spoke at an interactive session with journalists in Lagos, said the only solution to the food insecurity ravaging the country is for the people to go back to the farm.

” The solution to food insecurity is not giving palliatives. There’s a saying that says,’teach me how to fish so that I can feed myself forever’. I know there are some banks set up under former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s regime for food sufficiency. The Bank of Industry, BOI, and Bank of Agriculture should give loans at almost zero interest to farmers to go back to farm. Though Lagos doesn’t have land for farming, but from Epe to other states of the federation, we have arable farmland. They should also subsidise fertilisers for them. That’s the real palliatives”.

He also berated the Chief of Defence Staff, Gen Christopher Musa, for dishing out orders to the people in a civilian dispensation.
“This is an abberation. Where does Gen Musa derive his power to be addressing the media on purely civilian matters?
“I think he should consult the legal department of the military so that he would know the role of military in a civilian setup. They are to be seen and not heard,” he added.
Continuing, he said the #EndBadGovernance Protests across the country is as a result of many years of neglect, which has resulted in pent-up anger, especially among the GenZ.
George, the Leader of PDP in Lagos State, said when Northern Youths came to turban him in Lagos some years ago, the only request they made was to be linked with their Southern counterparts.

“When northern youths requested that I should link them up with their Southern counterparts, I was very careful to handle the request so that it won’t be misconstrued. It was when former President Muhammadu Buhari was in power. I don’t want them to say I’m planning a coup. It was obvious from the youth that they are fed up with the way they are being treated, and they want liberation from ignorance.
He said those saying that there are people sponsoring them should better wake up and smell the coffee.
He also urged Tinubu to show commitment and restructure Nigeria.
George says restructuring is the only panacea to good governance and egalitarian society.
According to him, the present structure could be liken to the military era, which is command structure, whereby power flows from the top to the bottom.
George said the time to devolve power to the subnational for proper accountability is now.

He explained that the ongoing ##EndBadGovernance protests across the country is enough to tell those in authority that it won’t be business as usual.
He, however, faulted the recent Supreme Court ruling, which empowered the Federal Government to pay the monthly allocation directly from the Federation Account to local governments across Nigeria.

He said the local government which is the equivalent of a county in the United States, should be the business of the state, adding that each of the state should determine the number of local governments suitable for them.
On the economic strangulation, George said Tinubu should convene a meeting with all bank chiefs, both former and present, to explain what they’ve done with the dollar allocation to their banks.
George, who says banks chiefs are engaged in ’round tripping’ with the dollar allocations, said the evidence is there at the various private jets owned by these bank chiefs.
He appealed to the Central Bank Governor, Olayemi Cardoso, to live up to peoples expectations and be firm like his father to rid commercial banks of unwholesome practices in the banking sector.
On the presidential directive to sell crude to Dangote Refinery in Naira, George said it will have a domino effect on the economy.

According to him, that’s where Nigeria earns forex, and selling crude in Naira to an individual will be counterproductive given the huge debts of the country.