The Senate President Ahmad Lawan finally speaks about the recent declaration of the ban on open grazing and the call for restructuring of the country and the practice of true federalism by the Southern Governors. The Senate President slammed the Southern State Governors saying they should practice what they preach and also devolution powers to the Local Governments in their states. 
The call for the practice of true federalism, complete devolution of powers to the subnational governments, has been a very topical issue for years now in the Nigerian political space. It is a topic that has consistently divided opinion.
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On Tuesday earlier this week the 17 Southern Governors’ Forum met and demanding of the Federal Government to make plans of restructing of the country, saying the progress of the country requires urgent and bold steps to restructure the country to practice true federalism.
The SGF also demanded for state police, a review of the revenue allocation formula and the creation of the other institutions to give more power to sub-nationals.
While addressing the press at the Presidential Villa in Abuja on Thursday, May 13, 2021, Lawan said calls for restructuring are genuine, but governors themselves have an important initial role to play.
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“I believe that as leaders those of us who were elected must not be at the forefront of calling for this kind of thing because even if you are a governor you are supposed to be working hard in your state to ensure that this restructuring you are calling for at the federal level you have done it in your state as well.
“This is because what you may accuse the federal government of whatever it is, you may also be accused of the same thing in your state,” the Senate President said.
Local governance in Nigeria has been considered dead for years due to the overbearing influence of governors who micro-manage the affairs of the tier that is closest to the people.
Ahmad Lawan said the diminished local government system must be functional and efficient especially to address Nigeria’s security challenges.
“We must go back to our local government to ensure that the local government continues to be autonomous, continues to be functional in order to complement whatever the States and the Federal Government would be doing,” Ahmad Lawan said
President Muhammadu Buhari has resisted calls for restructuring the country, but the National Assembly is currently reviewing the 1999 constitution to address it, with public hearings on proposals already scheduled for late May.
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