Former Governor of old Western Region, Gen. Adeyinka Adebayo (retd.) on Friday condemned the costly governance structure of the country.
He described it as wasteful and urged the three tiers of government to bring down the cost of governance.
Adebayo said the problem confronting the Yoruba race and the country at large was the pre-2015 general election activities.
He noted that 2015 would determine where Nigeria was going in a statement by the Director, Osun State Bureau of Communication and Strategy, Mr. Semiu Okanlawon.
Adeyinka, who visited Aregbesola in Osogbo, the state capital, said the current state of the country required urgent attention for the restoration of its past achievements and lost glory.
He also said the governance style of Governor Rauf Aregbesola remained a major source of hope, in the face of the bleak future of the South-West and Nigeria.
The elder statesman commended the governor for his active participation in the regional integration of the Yoruba nation, which he described as one of the cardinal objectives of the Yoruba Council of Elders heads.
Adebayo said, "My aim then and now is to have the best for Nigeria and Yoruba, especially. Our problem now is where we are going in this country and what our position is as Yoruba. That is why we need to commend your positions on where the Yoruba people should be now and in the future.
"The future is bleak but we want it to be bright. It is based on that that we thank you for what you are doing in Osun. We use the little money we get unnecessarily. We should go back to where we are, in terms of regional structure, so that the little we get will be used for our people."
In his response, Aregbesola admitted architectural defects in the governance structure of Nigeria, saying it was too expensive.
The governor said integration of states with similarities to reduce the high cost of governance should be the genuine interest of the Yoruba.
Aregbesola said, "No Nigerian can really exist without an ethnic base. We also want to admit that between now and 2015 is crucial. We will do everything to ensure that we do not make mistakes."
The Punch
I think I wanna agree with that because most government structures are not even as solid as the private ones. That's why I believe.
The man is very much right. Government structures can be very costly at times unnecessarily. Our leaders just like to blow money....