A renowned Multimedia Journalist and Public Policy Strategist, Om’oba ‘Peju Akinyemi has charged Nigerians to hold their state Assembly members responsible if the State legislators do not concur with the recent constitutional amendments on the 1999 constitution as amended.
Akinyemi spoke against the backdrop of the incessant rejection of past constitutional amendments from the national assembly by the state assemblies.
While section 153 of the 1999 constitution makes provision for the establishment of an Independence National Electoral Commission; Section 197 provides for the creation of the State Independent Electoral Commission, thus duplicating the job of INEC while creating credibility questions in the conduct of their elections.
Similarly, section (7) 1 of the Nigerian constitutional provides full autonomy for the local governments but, the interference of State Governors is not making this to work as expected, thus necessitating the constitutional amendments by the National Assembly.
He spoke while making his presentation on the theme; Reverse Leadership at the 3rd edition of the I-Care Lecture Series last Saturday, 27th April noted that governance is about the masses, and not about the leaders.
The Multimedia Journalist stressed that the current leadership philosophy being practiced in Nigeria, where the leaders-take- all was moribund and would not take the nation to her promised land.
He further disclosed that, the masses were critical stakeholders in good governance, hence the need for public office holders to carry them along in the process of policy formulation and programmes.
Akinyemi cited the case of the recent constitutional amendments passed by the National Assembly which gave autonomy to the local government and empowered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to conduct future local government elections.
The media expert therefore charged Nigerians to ensure their voice is heard by prevailing on their House of Assembly members to concur with the resolutions passed by the National Assembly on local government autonomy and conduct of local government elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)e, in tandem with the yearnings of Nigerians.
‘It is high time we held our House of Assembly members responsible and accountable, particularly in relation to the new constitutional amendments passed by the National Assembly. A situation where the States Assembly hold Nigerians to ransom by countering National Assembly resolutions is no longer acceptable’
He submitted that, ‘Nigerians have been clamouring for full local government autonomy and conduct of local government elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). It therefore behoves any responsible public office holder to heed the voice of the masses’.
The I-Care Lecture Series is a mentoring platform organized by the I-Care Foundation and sponsored by Rep Babajimi Benson, Chairman House of Reps Committee on Defence for youths and political class across Ikorodu Federal Constituency.
This year’s edition also featured a renowned Global Thought Leader, Kunle Soriyan, the Director-General of I-Care Foundation, Mayor Deen Sanwo-Ola and Dean, Students Affairs, Lagos State University (LASU), Dr Abiodun Fatai-Abatan.
