Posted by By Tony Nwankwo on
Prince Adio Sekoni is the chairman of Oriade Local Government in Lagos State. He was chairman, Amuwo-Odofin Local Government, 1999-2003, where he excelled by the numerous projects he executed and for which his absence is felt by all and sundry....
Third Term project was an ill-wind - Prince Sekoni
Posted to the Web: Tuesday, June 27, 2006
Prince Adio Sekoni is the chairman of Oriade Local Government in Lagos State. He was chairman, Amuwo-Odofin Local Government, 1999-2003, where he excelled by the numerous projects he executed and for which his absence is felt by all and sundry. In this interview, he frowns at the Federal Government for not obeying court orders. He also reflects on the success of the national headcount in Lagos State. Excerpts:
People recall with nostalgia, your performance as chairman Amuwo-Odofin Local Government Council by the projects you put in place. How is it now at Oriade?
We thank God that we have been able to survive the onslaught of the Federal Government which withheld our allocation since April 2004 that we came in. We haven't seen anything yet, but now that the money is coming out, we are just starting and promise that the people of Oriade Local Government Area will still see our magic wand before we leave office, hopefully, in March 2007.
The Federal Government seems to have earmarked the Lagos State for capture by the PDP with an envisaged tsunami, like they say?
You see those are empty threats. Such threats don't win elections. The people of Lagos know and appreciate those who are governing them, they know those who can govern them, and they will anytime any day, give their votes to Alliance for Democracy, which is presently governing Lagos State. The government of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the various local government and local council development areas, have done wonderfully well to keep the state anytime that elections come in. Inspite of the withholding of allocation, the local governments were still able to sustain the system that within them, they kept the services running. The state government came to our aid, to the extent that nobody knew, except for some few things we ought to have done in a bigger dimension that was not done.
Lagos State must take credit for the level of campaign and the eventual success of the recent national head count. You mobilised the people to ensure that all were counted. What is your assessment with Alimosho LG as a case study?
Thank you very much. Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu really took the census very seriously. We were holding meetings every night from 8 p.m. to about 1 a.m. in Marina, to review the activities of the census and when it got to the point that we lost two days, when the real census had not even started, and people were already complaining of shortage of Form 001, he had to charter a plane to give to the National Population Commission, Lagos State, to go to Abuja and pick the forms. He got to the extent that when they said their forms were exhausted, he printed forms, all in the bid to ensure that every human being living in Lagos State was counted. The mobilisation was very intense, very very huge, and we thank God that if we cannot boast of 99 percent, at least Lagos State can boast of 95 percent. That was the extent of the success of that census. You know Alimosho is a very large local government and on the last day, Lagos Island had to deploy about a hundred enumerators to assist them.
You also have a riverine population, how did it go here?
Well, we thank God. All the riverine areas were well covered, there was no shortage of forms there. What I observed is that most of our people who are working up here did not go home to register. Everybody stayed where they are living and you know that was what we preached, that you stay in Lagos, get registered in Lagos, stay where you are and be counted as a Lagosian.
The questionnaires sought to know the number of radios and televisions in each household and many are thinking it was added for taxation purposes. Or you say otherwise?
The questionnaire was not peculiar to Lagos State, it was the same all over the country. The census is something about population and housing. And if almost every household has a television, has a radio, then it has impact on our power generation. We want to know what amount of energy some of these things consume. For instance, when they bring light, it's just like candle light because all of us have switched on our appliances. So, census has nothing to do with tax at all.
When last you spoke, you were bitter that the Federal Government would not want Lagos State to have its newly created local councils. Now with the release of funds, there seems to be some stability.
I am really of the opinion that it is the PDP controlled Federal Government that has not enabled the National Assembly to do that which is mandatory of them through the constitution to list the local governments, they are just using their number in the National Assembly to stall additional local governments created in Lagos State. So, I am still bitter that even before the Federal Government agreed to release the money withheld illegally, we had to revert to local council development areas. So, up till now, the local governments have not gone into existence, because the Federal Government has not allowed the National Assembly to do that part which remains to make our local governments recognised, even inspite of the Supreme Court judgment. So, this is part of the things that made the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) abandon the courts recently. Why must the Federal Government be above the law? So, if I was bitter then, I am still bitter up till now, because they should allow the creation of local governments in Lagos State.
The National Assembly recently consigned the Constitution Amendment Bill to the dustbin of history where many believe it should rightly be. Was the 3rd term really necessary?
It wasn't necessary at all. But worse was the issue of Obasanjo even saying on television that he did not ask for 3rd Term. Imagine the sort of grammar he was speaking in the United States, that 'nothing like third term for now". Just look at it, we all can reason. He says he would not do anything against the constitution, granted, but it means if Mantu had got through his report, and the third term went through the National Assembly, he would not then be doing anything against the constitution. Isn't that what he is saying? But then, he is playing on the sensibilities of Nigerians. He shouldn't do that. President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa came out boldly to say no to third term.
The same with other leaders that had kicked against such thing. So, our president should not have listened to all these sycophants who were heating up the polity. However, Obasanjo has tried his best, we must give him the credit, but he should not take people for granted. He should just leave when the ovation is still loud. As a statesman, as someone who was begged when he came out of prison, he has done enough to keep the nation together. He should satisfy the provisions of the constitution, and not try to amend it to favour himself.