…empowers 150 People in Ekiti
A legal luminary from Ikere Ekiti, Chief Wole Olanipekun has thrown his weight behind the call for a single six years term for political office holders but with an amendment.
Olanipekun who spoke in his residence in Ikere Ekiti after providing support for one hundred and fifteen vulnerable people noted that the Nigeria Bar Association was the first to suggest such pattern to the then president Olusegun Obasanjo but he turned it down outrightly.
However, Olanipekun noted that the pattern suggested by NBA was more realistic than the current template saying if the initial template is adopted, the country will progress rapidly.
Olanipekun said:”When I was the president of NBA, 2002-2004, we originated it. It was one of the proposals we brought to Obasanjo as president but he rejected it.
“The proposal was beautifully crafted. By the time we presented it to him, we said for us to stabilise this republic, we either go for parliamentary and we are going to go with this presidential system of government; we suggested it to him- a single term of five or six years.
“It’s not the way they are presenting it now, our own was well worked out, we worked on it and what we suggested was that there are six geo-political zones in Nigeria, if the President comes from the southwest, there will be six Vice President but those VPs must have a portfolio like ministry of Justice, education, Defence, FCT, Works.
“A Geopolitical zone that has a Vice President of education will not have a Minister of education. Aand if per adventure, the president of a geo-political zone whether impeached or dies in office, the Vice President from his geo-political zone will complete his tenure.
Chief Olanipekun affirmed that the Nigeria Constitution did not reflect the true picture and realities of the country hence it must be changed.
“I am still on the view that we have to do something about the constitution, we have to look into it, the constitution to me is not federal, it does not reflect what we have on ground as people of Nigeria, as the context of Nigeria.
“We should have a constitution that is homegrown, no constitution is perfect but we can’t be going on with an imperfect constitution, it’s just a house with no good foundation and something has to be done to it.
