We Must Deal With Issues That Relate To Devolution Of Powers – Ambode

Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode on Tuesday said the State Government is solidly behind the position of the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu on the issues of devolution of powers and the need to entrench true federalism.

Tinubu, at a forum held in Lagos recently, supported the calls for devolution of powers and the need for the nation to truly adopt the practice of true federalism, submitting that it was the surest way to correct the nation’s power imbalance and quell the agitations for secession.

“I support true federalism; I support all the issues raised by Asiwaju; we are on the same page.

That is the page of APC; that is where we are and that is what we are committed to. Like I have always said, we need to deal with issues that relate to devolution of powers. Like somebody said, if I have more resources, all these items that you are coming to raise here, once you raise it, I will just say done. I need more money. So, why should somebody be saying they are the ones in charge of inland waterways when the waterways is transporting my own people and my own services and when there is a law about it” Ambode said.

“We enact a law and somebody says he wants to do another law that regulates hotels inside Lagos. Is it not because of the roads that they put hotel there? That is what devolution of power is saying.

If these things are on residual list, let Local Government and States deal with them. That is all that we are asking for. It’s not that we will generate Value Added Tax (VAT) here and somebody will be sharing 50 per cent of the VAT somewhere else.

“So, obviously that is the whole idea behind this agitation for true federalism, devolution of powers and the need to use it to liberate ourselves so that we can get more prosperous; so that our people can be more comfortable and it is all about the welfare of our people. Our people have said that we should do this work and we must be able to speak on your behalf on the things that really matter to all of you,” he said.

“We are in October and we are going to December, naturally, when it gets to the ember months, somehow traditionally, crime rate go up but in the last two years, we have been able to reduce crime rate when it is coming to December.

“I want to appeal to all our traditional rulers and other community leaders; there is a need for us to support the Neighborhood Safety Corps. Also our volunteers and the people should now be more vigilant and then cooperate with our security agencies to maintain law and order. I want to reduce the crime rate to the barest minimum and I know that we are going to engage a lot of our youths in end of the year activities to make sure