Posted by Olayinka Oyebode and Segun Olugbile on
President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday summoned Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to Abuja for a crucial meeting, in what may be an effort to establish a truce over Thursday's reversion to the 20 councils recognised by the 1999 Constitution.
President Olusegun Obasanjo on Friday summoned Lagos State Governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to Abuja for a crucial meeting, in what may be an effort to establish a truce over Thursday's reversion to the 20 councils recognised by the 1999 Constitution.
The state government had on Thursday endorsed the recommendations of a committee headed by Justice Bola Ajibola, which included the reversion to the old structure and the redesignation of the new ones as local development areas.
Tinubu, who was scheduled to host the public presentation of the new Lagos State Post-Primary Teaching Service Bill 2005 in Lagos on Friday, had to abandon the ceremony at a point to honour the president's call.
The event was consequently postponed indefinitely when the governor craved the indulgence of the stakeholders at the ceremony to allow him leave for Abuja.
The governor, who said he received the president's summon as early as 7.30 am on Friday, added that he was certain that the discussion was crucial to the state. He immediately left the Lagos State Television multi-purpose hall venue of the event and headed for the Ikeja airport around noon.
According to the governor, 'Ladies and gentlemen, I am sorry for keeping you waiting. Unfortunately, I will not be able to stay for this programme because I have to be in the (Presidential) Villa within the next one or two hours. The president called me this morning around 7.30 am to come to Abuja. The call is very crucial to us in Lagos, thus I have to honour it.
'I don't really know what the call is going to be about but it is pregnant. I don't know whether it is going to give birth to twins, boy or a girl; I don't know whether it is going to be for peace or for war, but I hope it is going to be for peace. But we have to honour it because as the Yoruba will say, 'openi ni sola' (meaning, the person that calls is he that determines fate)."
Meanwhile, the Federal Government said on Friday that it would not release the seized fund until it confirms that the state government had actually restored the old structure.
Special Assistant to the President on Public Affairs, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, said on telephone, 'What they have done is a welcome development but it is too early now to say exactly when they will have the money. I think government needs to be convinced that the reversion has indeed been done."
He, however, said he was not aware of Tinubu's meeting with Obasanjo.
The Central Bank also said that it was yet to receive instructions to release the money to the councils.
CBN's Deputy Director (Corporate Affairs), Mr. Tony Ede, told our correspondent on telephone that the apex bank was awaiting a directive from the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation on the next step.
SATURDAY PUNCH, July 30, 2005