- Governor Sanwo-Olu discusses observed changes in individuals transitioning from state to federal government roles at NIIA discourse
- Sanwo-Olu supports decentralizing power to states, questioning federal agency control over local resources like Lagos waterways
Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State highlighted a perceived phenomenon during a discourse at the Nigeria Institute of International Affairs (NIIA). Speaking at the National Dialogue on Nigeria’s constitutional future, Sanwo-Olu remarked on the transformation he observed in individuals transitioning from state to federal government roles.
Addressing a gathering focused on the imperative of a people-centric constitution, Sanwo-Olu voiced support for a truly federal constitution to decentralize power to states. He cited the anomaly of federal agencies controlling local resources, such as waterways in Lagos, as a concern that warrants attention.
He said, “We must take this conversation and make it very effective. It’s for the National Assembly to constitute a law where these people would come together. It’s something very simple. Why do we have a federal agency controlling waterways in Lagos?
“You would see state officials fighting the same course; the moment they get to federal, they changed 360 degrees. I’m wondering what is going on, what’s happening. I don’t know what’s happening.”
According to him, a mystery about the central government must be unravelled.
“Something about the federal shocks everybody; we need to be bold to unravel this. Let us be able to make the change we desire. Let the soul of Prof. Ben Nwabueze rest in peace.”