Democracy is the only path that can guarantee a good future for Nigeria, and must be ultimately defended in the interest of national development.

This was the submission of the Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, while delivering the 2014 Convocation Lecture at the 66th Founder’s Day Anniversary and Convocation Ceremonies of the University of Ibadan.

Aregbesola, who delivered the lecture entitled ‘Federalism, Democracy and the Future of Nigeria’ yesterday at the Trenchard Hall of the institution, described people as active ingredients of democracy. He said that people have to be involved actively in politics, and election should be a democratic festival – not an opportunity for unbridled display of atavistic tendencies.

“In this clime, democracy is warfare rather than being an emancipatory project,” Aregbesola lamented. “All Nigerians, irrespective of their nativity and traditional affiliation, should be able to live and participate fully in any activity in any part of the country, to make our democracy practicable,” he said.

According to the governor, “The power is over-concentrated in the centre and radiates from there to the state, at the pleasure of the government. What we really need is freedom for democracy to thrive. Nigeria is the only nation, today, that has central money to share. In other parts of the world, it has not been like that.”

Ogbeni Aregbesola observed that at its founding, Nigeria had all the predisposing qualities of federalism. “It is possible to put federal structures in place and still not have federal practice, which all together defeats the purpose of federalism. And that is what we are experiencing today. The history of Nigeria federalism has been of countervailing push and pull between, one one hand, and has unitary and centralist tendencies on the other hand,” he said.

The governor declared that democracy and federalism are inseparable Siamese twins, because federalism requires the properties of democracy to be practicable; respect for individual rights, independence of the judiciary. He defined federalism as an arrangement on unity and diversity.

He further argued that if productivity is the basis of wealth, Nigerians must rethink the basis of the country’s political structure today. “We must be agitating for federalism, and not leave it for politicians alone, so that it can thrive. We should not continue to live in the past,” he stated.

Aregbesola asserted that there is a need to reawaken ourselves for our democratic growth and national development, saying that the greatest of any nation is the sum of his greatness in the past. He said, we must break the mental strangle hold and ask for greater gravitation towards the centre. His words: “We must return to a system which makes the state strong, if not stronger, but, at least, put it on the same level as the centre in a democratic state where the rule of law prevails, and no state is under the fear and terror of the central diktat.”

Commenting on another burning issue, Ogbeni Aregebesola expressed outrage at the suicide bombing in Potiskum, Yobe State, which wiped out about 50 innocent students. He said: “It is unfortunate that even if we should ask ourselves what the mood of the nation should be now, we do not know. Nigeria should be mourning by now. Nigeria’s flag must fly at half mast now. We should be wearing mournful look and ask ourselves how we got to be where we are now.”

Commenting on the lecture, UI Vice Chancellor, Prof. Isaac Adewole, noted that Governor Aregbesola in his lecture demonstrated an unshakeable belief in Nigeria’s development.

•Photo shows, from left: Deputy Governor Oyo State, Chief Moses Alake Adeyemo; Guest Speaker and Governor State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola; Vice Chancellor, University of Ibadan, Professor Isaac Adewole; and Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration University of Ibadan, Professor Emilolorun Ayelari, during the 2014 Convocation Lecture/Founder’s Day Ceremony, at University of Ibadan, yesterday afternoon, at the Trenchard Hall, while singing the National Anthem.

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