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  • Paramole Basorun at 85

    Paramole Basorun at 85

    In his white regalia of priesthood, he stood as a moral conscience; a humble servant of God ministering to the needs worshippers. 

    Hale and hearty, he was in a happy mood for obvious reasons that bright Sunday afternoon. Tall and dignified, the elder statesman exchanged pleasantries with guests, far and near, who thronged the Cherubim and Seraphim Church, Oke Ayo Igbala Irapada, Iganmu, Lagos to celebrate with him.

    At 85, His Eminence Baba Aladura Olorunfunmi Basorun, a lawyer, walked briskly, unaided, and without a walking stick. He waved at all, young and old, beaming his peculiar infectious smiles as he danced round the church, accompanied by other visiting clerics. 

    Although a priest, Basorun effectively combines the demands of political activism with church activities. At the home front, where he is the Asiwaju of Igbogbo, he also honours deep commitments to community peace and progress.  

    Thus, many statesmen, politicians and other associates filled the church, exuding happiness, exchanging banners and praying for more years for the indefatigable and dynamic party leader, who has in the last 45 years remained a notable voice in Lagos affairs. 

    Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu led other All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders to the birthday thanksgiving service hosted by the Governance Advisory Council (GAC) member, the scion of Paramole Basorun family of Igbogbo and one of the apex party leaders in Ikorodu Division.

    The eminent politician and church superintendent was described by Henry Odunayo, the priest priest who delivered the sermon, as a politician who has not forgotten God. It is Instructive. Having joined the congregation over 60 years ago, like a man who has placed his hand on the plough, Basorun has not looked back.

    At the service were Chief of Staff Tayo Ayinde, who presented the governor, Special Adviser on Rural Development Nurudeen Agbaje, Adeboruwa of Igbogbo, Oba Sefiu Kasali,  GAC members-former Deputy Governor Abiodun Ogunleye, Senator Tony Adefuye, Ashipa Kaoli Olusanya, Senator Tokunbo Abiru, Chief Muyiu Are and Senator Ganiyu Solomon, Alhaji Tunde Balogun, and party chairman Pastor Cornelius Ojelabi. 

    Also at the ceremony were Senator Bareewu  Ashafa, former Commissioner for Home Affairs Oyinlomo Danmole, House of Assembly member Moshood Aro, former state lawmaker Segun Olulade, Igbogbo Council Chairman Sesan Daini, Mrs. Motunrayo Gbadebo Alogba, Suleiman Kashim, Banjo Adebisi, and Bayo Osiyemi, former Special Adviser on Chieftaincy Affairs. 

    Read Also: Tinubu celebrates Pa Basorun at 85

    The officiating ministers were led by the Supreme Head of C&S Unification Church of Nigeria, Dr. Solomon Alao. There was much singing, dancing and thanksgiving to the God, creator and guarantor of long life.

    Sanwo-Olu hailed Basorun’s achievements in the service of God and humanity, adding that his experience has been deployed to the great benefit for the Lagos State Government. 

    He thanked the celebrator for supporting his administration through wise counsels, personally and as a GAC member. 

    The governor, who described Basorun as a progressive elder, said his administration was committed to the delivery of a greater Lagos that will be the pride of Lagosians.

    Baba Aladura Odunayo said Basorun was a happy man because he has salvation. God’s grace and blessings, stressing that he is also a servant of God. 

    He described Basorun as a politician who has time for God, adding: “He is a near perfectionist, with a knack for details; a great contributor at meetings, a very straightforward man worthy of emulation.”

    Perhaps, the greatest joy of the celebrator are his children, who are sre doing well as electrical/electronic engineer, medical practitioner and chemical engineer. 

    Hit by vicissitude of life, Basorun suddenly became a widower, following the demise of her wife of 28 years, Ojuolape. Seven years after the blow of fate, he re-married to Bolanle, a deaconess, who has continued her excellent work.

    His rich and intimidating credentials should ordinarily motivate and inspire the younger generation in their quest for greatness. Armed with a bachelors degree in Business Administration from the cosmopolitan University of Lagos, Akoka, he launched into the world. An employee of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), where he was also a respected unionist who fought for welfare of workers, Basorun honed his managerial skills at work and in the course of training at the Administrative Staff College, Henley-on-Thomas, England and Yaba College of Technology, Lagos, where he took a supervisory course. 

    Today, he relishes his profile as an Associate of Chartered Institute of Bankers, United Kingdom, Chartered Institute of Secretaries and Administers, UK, British Institute of Management, U.K; and member of Nigerian Institute of Nigeria (NIM). 

    Basorun’s banker’s banking career took him to many parts of the country, including Kano, Jos, Enugu and Maiduguri. 

    Politics has been his blood right from youth. While his mentor in banking, as it were, was Olabiyi Durojaye, who became a senator, those who moulded his life in politics and community/local government work were Senator Ayo Fasanmi, revolutionary chemist and legendary president of Action Group Youth Association, who taught him the art of political writing; and the elderstatesman, Chief Adeniran Ogunsanya, former Minister of Lands and Surveys, who nominated him into the Ikorodu District Council Management Committee.

    A progressive to the core, Basorun was a member of the Committee of Friends, which metamorphosised into the defunct Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN), led by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. He was the Secretary of the party in Ikorodu Council. In Lagos State, he wrote the manifesto on Agriculture and Integrated Rural Development. He was also a member of the party’s Finance Committee.

    However, in 1979, Governor Lateef Jakande appointed him as Secretary to Government, and in 1983, he was appointed Commissioner for Education. In that later capacity, he was chairman of Lagos State University (LASU), Ojo, Governing Council, and simultaneously as chairman, Lagos State Schools Management Board.

    The coup of 1983 temporarily terminated his political career. Basorun returned to UNILAG to study law, and he was called to the bar in 1993. 

    During the Third Republic, he was a chieftain of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Lagos State and a senatorial aspirant.

    But, in 1999, he, against popular expectation, joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), serving as chairman of Lagos State chapter. He also aspire for governor under the platform. At the federal level, he served as Chairman of Board of Directors of Savannah Sugar Company, Numan, Adamawa State. 

    Despite being a PDP stalwart, Governor Bola Tinubu, who knew his worth, nominated him as delegate to the National Political Reform Conference held in Abuja in 2005. To Basorun, it is lamentable that the report of the conference was thrown into the dustbin. Observers believe that the good recommendations were sacrificed on the altar of the third term agenda. Consequently, Nigeria moved farther from devolution and failed to redress the injustice lopsided federalism.

    The quest for what is now called true federalism agitates Basorun’s mind. He is concerned about effective service delivery by the local government.

    On June 12, 2007, Basorun joined the defunct Action Congress (AC) and became a GAC member. 

    In 1917, he was appointed as a member of Board of National Directorate of Employment (NDE). 

    What are the lessons of Basorun’s political involvement? He is not a political without a second address. He has not depended on politics for a source of income. A retired banker, he is a lawyer and businessman. Thus, he has made indelible marks in his professions and vocation, and impacted many people in the society through his laudable contributions to socio-economic development. 

    An intellectual and great debater, many associates perceive him as an upright politician; a man of courage and principle who cannot suffer fools gladly.  

    In his congratulatory message to him, President President recalled Baba Aladura’s hardwork, devotion to duty, dedication, dexterity, leadership experience, tremendous skills and passion for excellence as a key member of the late Alhaji Lateef Jakande administration.

    The President particularly noted his uncompromising role in the implementation of the “Four Cardinal Programmes” that revolutionarised governance in the old Centre of Excellence. 

    He said as SSG and later, Commissioner for Education, Basorun and his colleagues in that administration, under their able Leader, Jakande, laid a solid foundation upon which successive administrations, including his own as Governor of Lagos, have continuously built. 

    The President said in his public career, the elderstatesman had remained a man of honour and integrity, whose advice to those in power has provided illuminating solutions to knotty problems in the march towards nation-building. 

    Recalling that as Governor of Lagos State he had nominated Basorun as a delegate to the Abuja National Conference in 2006, based on his knowledge, understanding and perspectives about the National Question, President Tinubu noted that Baba Aladura never compromised the interest of the state during the conference.

    He also showered encomiuns on him for his team spirit, knack for details, belief in party supremacy and advocacy of party discipline in his capacity as a GAC member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State. 

    He said:”I rejoice with Baba Aladura Olorunfunmi Basorun, who God has honoured with long life and robust health, and the invaluable opportunity to serve Nigeria and humanity in his chosen fields of banking and law, and vocation of politics, for attaining 85 years. 

    “Pa Basorun’s life, career and political involvement have been shaped by his vision, concrete ideas and determination to make impact and contribute meaningfully to the socio-economic development of our society. 

    “An experienced politician, he is endowed with a weapon of incisive wit, clear understanding of politics and inter-personal relationship, and the practical value of undiluted loyalty, which is critical to trust and confidence building. 

    “His devotion and commitment to the cause of good governance are salutary while his passion for political mobilisation at the grassroots has never diminished despite his advanced age. 

    His contributions to the enthronement of another progressive administration at the centre imposes on all of us the burden to double our efforts in meeting the aspirations of the masses.

    “My prayer is that Almighty God should him the blessing of robust health, energy, greater wisdom and more active years to continue to serve Nigeria and humanity.”

  • Oyomesi faction tackles Basorun over claim on new Alaafin

    Oyomesi faction tackles Basorun over claim on new Alaafin

    Kingmakers in Oyo are sharply divided over the selection of new Alaafin.

    A faction of three members on Monday washed their hands clean off Basorun High Chief Yusuf Ayoola’s claim that there was no going back on the selection of a particular candidate.

    Ayoola, in a media interview, stated that a candidate had been selected, adding that his name had been forwarded to Governor Seyi Makinde.

    He said the Oyomesi has been waiting for Makinde to announce the new Alaafin since October last year.

    But three of the seven kingmakers – High Chiefs Asimiyu Atanda (Agbaakin), Lamidi Oyewole (Iba Samu) and Chief Odurinde Olusegun (Baale Ajagba)- distanced themselves from Ayoola’s claim, saying they stood for the decision of the Governor that kingmakers should follow due process in selecting the new Alaafin.

    The trio in a joint statement said Ayoola did not follow due process in selecting the said candidate.

    Read Also: Abiru greets Basorun at 84

    The statement reads: “There are five living members of the Oyomesi, and there are two warrant chiefs eligible to nominate/recommend a nominee to the governor of Oyo State for appointment as the Alaafin.

    “The kingmakers met only once in 2022 with the following members of the kingmakers in attendance – Basorun, Agbakin, Samu, Akinniku, Lagunna (Oyomesi) joined by Areago Basorun and Alapo (Both Warrant Chiefs unilaterally selected by Basorun without the knowledge or consent of the Oyomesi). As a matter of fact, one of the contestants also wrote a letter of protest questioning the inclusion of one of the warrant chiefs in the Kingmakers Council).

    “It was at the meeting of this ill-constituted seven-member kingmakers first meeting that a nominee for the office of the Alaafin was sent to the government for endorsement

    “Immediately after submitting our nomination, we got the government’s response that our nomination could not be accepted because we did not follow DUE PROCESS in coming to our resolution. The government directed that we should go back and do our work properly in accordance with the Declaration.

    “It was also discovered that one of the warrant chiefs (handpicked by Basorun) who participated in our earlier resolution was ineligible to be a warrant chief. He was therefore removed and replaced with another Chief. Thus the ALAPO handpicked by Basorun who participated in our carlier resolution was replaced with Baale Ajagba.

    “We were directed to meet and follow due process. Unfortunately, the Basorun who is chairman and convener of our meetings decided not to convene any meeting of the Oyomesi since late last year till the present moment.

    “The new member of the kingmakers (Baale Ajagba) has been denied the opportunity of participating in or contributing to the resolutions of the kingmakers since his official appointment in 2022 on account of the blunt refusal of the Basorun to comply with the directive of government for due process in our task of recommending a Nominee to the government

    “About seven months ago, during an official visit to Oyo, the governor held a meeting with the Oyomesi and specifically told us of the Government decision that due process must be followed in the nomination of candidate for the Alaafin stool. He instructed us to do our duty freely because the government is only interested in the best for Oyo and Yorubaland.

    “Regrettably, Basorun remained adamant, and no meeting of the kingmakers was convened to deliberate on the major issue of
    nomination or selection of candidate for the stool of the Alaafin.

    “Recently, the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs invited the kingmakers to a meeting in his office. Some of us honoured the invitation but Basorun and others refused to honour the invitation from the commissioner.

    “We are opposed to the Basorun’s utter disregard for government’s directive on due process and his continuing imposition of one of his handpicked chiefs (Areago Basorun) as a warrant chief whose letter of appointment is questionable. We are ready to meet with other Kingmakers to perform our legitimate duties in accordance with our tradition, custom and the law of the land.”

  • Basorun: APC has not failed Nigerians

    Former Secretary to Lagos State Government Olorunfunmi Basorun is a member of the Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) Gubernatorial Advisory Council (GAC). He spoke with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU on President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term ambition and preparations for next year’s polls in the Centre of Excellence.

    There are post-primary crises in the APC in many states. Is this not worrisome to you as a party elder?

    It is worrisome. But, when there is no crisis, you will not know where you are weak. The party will come out of the crisis stronger. I am not being over optimistic. I believe that in areas where there are disagreement, I believe many of them will be made to see the correct position. The crisis will be resolved. In many of them, the crisis has been resolved. The area where the National Working Committee wanted to use the big stick to stop the aggrieved has been clarified. Any aggrieved person can go to court. One would have thought that as a loyal party member who read the constitution, it is in the nomination form that you should go and swear to an affidavit in court, that whatever decision that is taken shall be acceptable to you. The decision has been taken now. You feel aggrieved. The normal thing is to go to court. Take the case of Amaechi. He went to court and became governor. If he did not go to court, he would not have become governor. If he feared the reprisal from the PDP then, he would not have been governor. If that is an example, let them go to court. When the court rules, we are bound by the ruling of the court. The serious areas are Imo, Ogun and Zamfara. Zamfara is more serious because INEC is saying the party has not brought a list of candidates and the party said it has submitted a list. In other areas, I think the crises are been handled successfully. Without this crisis, we will not know that there is competition.

    Does this crisis suggest the failure of reconciliation?

    To an extent, if one looks at it that way. But, it is not the failure of reconciliation. Many people looking for positions are desperate. They are always desperate. The interest of the party is paramount. But, many of them will not give up, particularly those of them who have money. There might have been, and I don’t want to rule this out, areas of injustice. And that is why, probably, the president is right; that if there is injustice, they should go and seek redress under an independent body.

    Is APC still as popular as it was in 2015?

    What would have made it unpopular? In 2015, it was a baby. People were coming him from left, left and centre. It was in fulfilment of Chief Obafemi Awolowo’s prediction that the progressives will come together. But, those who does not belong to that group, having gone out now, the APC will be more popular. In many of the states, those in government on the platform of the APC have performed. At the national level, there are things we have seen which have made the party popular. The first thing is the fight against corruption. The economic problem we have today is a function of the amount of maoney that has gone to private hands. Those private hands are not using it to develop the economy. They are using it for themselves. This government is still pursuing them. The other day, Jonathan said the amount of money recovered by the EFCC under him was more than N200 billion. Now, they have recovered more than N400 billion, that there is more corruption in this regime. That is not true. The money were recovered from those in government before, not really those in government now. This government is focusing on an area that has been destroying the economy. Boko Haram, for example, is a serious matter, the recent happenings notwithstanding. This government has fought that cankerworm. The, the economy itself, despite the wound that has been inflicted by those who hold the money of the country in their hands, is not going down. Two days ago, the Central Bank governor said the exchange rate, despite the spending there and there, has remained the same. It has not been fluctuating. That is one of the indices to measure whether we are doing well or the party is popular. What would have made it unpopular is the return of some National Assembly members to their party. But, APC is as popular as before because it has not, in my opinion, failed Nigerians. It has not failed Nigerians. If not for the ingenuity of those in the executive, the party would have become unpopular. The National Assembly has not been cooperative at all. Somebody who was nominated by the president was not confirmed. They deferred it. The, a number of electoral acts; they said the president did not assent to it. I went through the list, may be the president wants to make an adjustment, I didn’t see anything there. But, they have not been helpful. They kept budget for more than five months and they want the government to perform. I have made enquiries and I have found out that, but for the ingenuity of this government, all projects would have failed. When Fashola was talking he analysed these achievements. They are visible all over the country. Some people from the Southeast have affirmed a lot of projects being done. The major ones are infrastructure projects. Another one is the Niger Bridge. How many times has it been flagged off? It has been done more than half now and the government has voted money for its continuation. It is a plus for the government. All the governors have acknowledged that Buhari has been fair to them, despite the fact that some of them are in the opposition.

    Is the ambition of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar not a threat to the second term ambition of President Muhammadu Buhari?

    Is the presidential ambition of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar not a threat to the second term ambition of President Muhammadu Buhari?

    It cannot be a threat. Atiku is a non-starter. There are so many questions to answer in this country. When he was deputy to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, he was in charge of the BPE. The companies were carted away and bought over before the president knew what was going on. The former president trusted him the way Buhari is trusting Osinbajo. The two of them sat there and approved university licenses for themselves. To establish a university, you need two million naira. That too should be probed.  How can people on seat approved universities for themselves? Is it their ;evel of education that made them to do so? The two of them have diplomas. Obasanjo has a diploma in Engineering. Atiku has a diploma in Law. Obasanjo with his diploma in Engineering built a bridge in Surulere and the thing collapsed. Is it their love for the country or their education that made them to be instrumental to the founding of universities; approving universities for themselves? This may look like a digression.

    The truth is that Atiku has no value to be president in this country, whether in terms of education or in terms of performance. He has been talking, condemning many things. He has moved from one party to the other. He belongs to the category of those who moves to another platform, if he cannot actualize his aspiration. He is facing the electorate now. Let him show the credential which will qualify him to be the next president. As a matter of fact, he cannot defeat Buhari. The Northwest will not vote for him. In the Northeast, it will be divided. There was an election in Bauchi recently, the PDP was defeated. The fact that the Lamido has made him the Waziri of Adamawa will not change the position. He may not win any state in the Northeast. In the Northcentral, the Saraki factor and the Ortom factor are there. Apart from that, I don’t know what he will get in the Northcentral. The Southwest is poised to deliver and they will deliver. They just want to say thank you to Buhari. He gave us eight strong mi istries. The Southeast, I don’t know what they want again. He gave them strong ministries too, I think four or five, with one minister of state. Not just ministries to decorate. Their leaders have affirmed that Buhari gave attention to the development of their region. Then, Southsouth. A lot of works going on there now. People are fighting the status quo. I don’t know where Atiku will win.

    How united is the Lagos APC family behind its governorship candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu?

    APC is lucky. The leaders and followers of the party believe in the party. A change took place. It was not a matter of Sanwo-Olu or Ambode.  The APC leadership is looking in another direction. And the members, in the name of the party, turned into that direction. I don’t have any doubt that the choice of a new candidate, as against a serving governor, is going to run into any problem. Governance at the highest level is like the local Osugbo where people sit down and consider issues which they don’t want to disclose to the public, and take a decision. Fortunately, the leadership of the party in the state is respected by the followership. So, when the leadership took the decision, the followership was properly informed. And in the interest of their party, they have all come to terms with that decision and they are working towards it. The serving governor is also doing his work. There is no flexing of muscles. Everybody is required to give him backing in the short period. I think they are doing so. The leader of the party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the governor, the leaders and members are backing Sanwo-Olu. There is no problem. The issue is party supremacy. Sanwo-Olu is the symbol on election day. We will all vote for him.

    Is the Lagos APC underrating Jimi Agbaje, the PDP governorship candidate?

    We cannot afford to underrate anybody. We will have to work very hard and we are working very hard. We went into history, looked at past elections, compared them and we are determined to do much better. He was the candidate in the last election. So, it is not difficult to see how he garnered the votes he got then; he got over 600,000 and APC got over 800,000; a difference of 152, 000. It is going to be so this time. In 2011, Dosunmu had about 200,000 and Fashola had over one million votes. We are working very hard. A number of things have happened since then. The entire state executive committee of the PDP has been dissolved, following the defection of its chairman, Adegoke Salvador, to the APC. The leadership the PDP in the state is not as strong as it used to be. Then, the APC has embarked on a number of projects that have impacted on the lives of the people, which will make them vote for the APC. The performance of the APC in 2019 will be better than 2015.

    What is your position on restructuring?

    It is an area where I am scared. They call it restructuring when it suits them. They call it true federalism when it suits them. So will say we should go back to the regions. At times, people are sentimental, particularly Afenifere. One of them said if there is no restructuring, the country will scatter. The country will not scatter. Aluko had warned us that, despite the poor economy at that time, but for the fact that Nigerians are resilient, the whole country would have gone down. Restructuring, yes. But, it is asking for things that will take years to achieve. There are things you can achieve immediately. Break them down. The first thing is the devolution of power. The national is taking too much. It should devolve some. Legislation or an amendment to the constitution can do that easily. From the Exclusive List, take some subjects. Bring them to the Concurrent List. Bring education out. It is in the Concurrent List. If it has to remain in the Concurrent List, then, the federal should only have supervisory roles, not creating schools. When we devolve some of these functions, we should make adequate provision for funds to the state to perform. You change the revenue allocation formula. Thirty five percent is enough for the federal. It is an arbitrary figure.

     

     

     

     

  • Oyebode, Basorun and restructuring

    As far as he is concerned, the subsisting 1999 constitution that provides the legal framework for the country’s socio-economic, political, spiritual, secular and moral life, is utterly, irredeemably defective and should be discarded altogether for the country to make progress rather than “going round in circles in a manner reminiscent of the potter’s will – all motion, no movement”. The proponent of this revolutionary view is none other than the respected, radical scholar of international law and jurisprudence, Professor Akin Oyebode.

    Delivering a lecture titled “The Nigerian Conundrum and the way forward” at an event organized by the Oriwu Club, Ikorodu in Lagos, the distinguished scholar averred that “The necessity for what the lawyers call an autochthonous constitution goes without saying. We cannot continue living a lie by calling a military decree, which propagates an untruth against itself, the country’s constitution. More importantly, the military-imposed constitution is lopsided, inequitable and dysfunctional and it should be jettisoned and replaced with a more acceptable instrument which adheres with the tenets of true federalism”.

    Continuing the distinguished scholar argued that “The existing division of powers needs to be reworked such that the Federal Government would shed its bloated powers and the constituent units would exercise more powers in a re-configured federal system. Luckily, there is already in existence a draft constitution elaborated by the National Conference of 2014 in the event that some would argue that the country does not require yet another constitutional conference…A new constitution is a condition sine qua non for the rebirth of this country”.

    Now, is it strictly true that the extant 1999 constitution is nothing but an imposed ‘military decree’ that ‘propagates an untruth against itself’? I don’t think so. The reality is more complex than that simplification. This column has had cause in the past to trace the trajectory of the 1999 constitution to the 1979 constitution, which was drawn up by 59 of some of the country’s brightest and most accomplished lawyers, intellectuals, diplomats and public administrators albeit under the aegis of the Murtala/Obasanjo military administration’s political transition programme.

    The draft constitution was later debated and ratified by an elected Constituent Assembly before being signed into law by the Supreme Military Council (SMC), which made some insertions that could easily have been expunged had the succeeding civilian political elite summoned the will to do so. There is no significant difference between the current constitution and that of 1979 that provided the legal basis for the defunct second republic (1979-1983). It is thus not correct to create the impression that the 1999 constitution is wholly an illegitimate jurisprudential child of military arbitrariness utterly delinked from the country’s political history.

    In any case, how did the military come to play a supervening role in the country’s political and constitution making process? Was the military intervention of 1966 not a function of the virtual breakdown of the essentially regional and parliamentary constitution of 1963 just as the failure of the 1979 presidential constitution resulted in the collapse of civilian rule in the second republic? Under the now highly romanticized first republic constitution, law and order had broken down in a large swathe of the country. In the Western Region, a legitimate and very popular government had been illegally removed by the centre in collusion with bitterly detested minority elements in the region.

    The badly rigged 1965 regional elections in the West spawned a reign of anarchy and total breakdown of governmental authority with daily blood- letting across the region when the masses rose up in the famous ‘operation wetie’ revolt. The first Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and some of his associates were unjustly incarcerated on trumped up and farcical charges of treasonable felony while it was an open secret that the NPC and its NNDP allies in control of the centre were planning a full scale military clamp down on the opposition before the preemptive majors’ bloody coup of January 1966.

    Both the federal and regional governments devised ingenious schemes through which public funds were diverted to enrich those in control of state power and their allies though not on the current industrial scale of corruption in contemporary Nigeria. In the North, a brutal military repression had been unleashed on the minorities particularly the Tiv who were demanding political autonomy from perceived Hausa-Fulani domination. Why then must anybody create the absolutely erroneous impression that the first republic was an era of idyllic governance disrupted for no reason by the military, which then went ahead to replace a thriving  and stable four-regional structure with the current centralized multi-polar state structure?

    Hadn’t leading politicians from the south including Awolowo and Nnamdi Azikwe been advocating the creation of more regions in the country because they saw the existing regional structure of the first republic as unjust and unsustainable being overly skewed in favour of Northern Nigeria? What exactly does Professor Oyebode mean by terms like ‘autochthonous constitution’ or ‘a re-configured Nigeria”? Reconfigured according to whose definition and imagination? Does he mean a return to the discredited regional structure of the first republic as advocated by some? Is it not instructive that the 2014 National Conference’s draft constitution to which the professor approvingly alludes actually recommended an increase in the number of states in the country to no less than 54?

    Yes, hardly anyone disagrees with the fact that structural adjustments to strengthen democracy, deepen federalism, accelerate socio-economic development and enhance security in Nigeria are long overdue. But this can be done within the subsisting constitutional context rather than pulling down the entire existing structure and embarking on the ultimately illusory expedition of crafting a new, supposedly perfect constitution, emerging magically from a tabula rasa.

    Perhaps the most practical, realistic and achievable suggestions for restructuring Nigeria I have come across are those articulated by Chief Olorunfunmi Basorun and popularized in Dr. Femi Orebe’s column in The Nation of Sunday, October 14, 2017. Lawyer, former Deputy Director of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Secretary to the State Government in the high achieving Alhaji Lateef Kayode Jakande administration and now leading member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Lagos State, the highly regarded Chief Basorun certainly has the experience to speak authoritatively on the issue.

    In his memo to the APC restructuring committee, Basorun advocates that items such as electricity generation, transmission and distribution, minimum wage, labour matters and industrial relations, fingerprint identification and criminal records, tourism as well as federal roads should be moved from the exclusive to the concurrent list “to enable the states, and by extension the local governments, have more responsibilities”. He also offers concrete and detailed suggestions on a new revenue allocation formula to enable the lower levels of government meet their new responsibilities.

    Chief Basorun’s brutal frankness on the issue of going back to regionalism illustrates the formidable political and emotional obstacles to attaining that objective. Femi Orebe summarizes his views thus: “For instance, he asks: in the Northwest, will the man from Sokoto or Kebbi, or the one from Zamfara want to come and report in Kaduna, his new regional hub? We, in Lagos, he says emphatically, will never like to go to Ibadan nor would people in Ogun, Ekiti or Ondo. When you go to the East, he continues, are you saying those in Abakaliki will now go to Enugu, or Benin to go and report at Port Harcourt; states in the North East to all head to Maiduguri and those in North-central to go and report in Jos? Regionalism, he concluded, will just not work. Rather, the six geopolitical zones should be included in the constitution to serve as units of sharing preferment”.

    Again, Orebe captures the sheer originality and audacity of Chief Basorun’s thinking specifically here on enhancing the financial viability of states and local governments: “It is his considered view that with the huge amounts daily going to owners of oil blocks in the country, and with every oil block making a minimum of N4 billion daily according to a former senator of the Federal Republic, government should embark upon a complete redistribution of oil blocks such that one each goes to the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. Specific functions, he suggested, must be set for the revenue accruing from these, just as there should be an agency, domiciled in the office of the Vice President, to monitor and oversee compliance. Also, 10 per cent of the funds must go to the local governments to energize them and rapidly increase economic activities at the local government level”.

    Incidentally, radical human rights lawyer, Mr. Femi Falana (SAN), has also consistently advocated the allocation of oil blocks to the states rather than individuals in the interest of justice and equity as well as to enhance fiscal capacity at the levels of governance closest to the people. With creative thinking and the requisite political will, remarkable progress can be achieved under the present constitution without incinerating the valuable experiences – good and bad- of the last nearly two decades of slowly but steadily deepening practice of democracy and federalism in Nigeria.

  • Nigerians hail Basorun at book launch

    Former Secretary to Lagos State Government (SSG), Chief Olorunfunmi Basorun, has received accolades for his selfless leadership, mentoring and putting Nigeria above other considerations.

    Basorun turned 80 this week.

    The commendations came yesterday in Lagos at the public presentation of his biography, titled: Paramole O K’oro Iwosi, written by the General Manager, Manpower, Development and Training of Vintage Press Limited, publishers of The Nation titles, Mr. Soji Omotunde.

    The chairman of the occasion, Senator Olabiyi Durojaiye, who was represented by Senator Gbenga Ashafa, said Basorun put public interest above personal gains.

    He said the politician’s contribution to nation-building will remain evergreen, while his admirers would benefit from his exemplary life.

    According to him, the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain has not changed from the credibility he is known for.

    Durojaiye said: “This is a man who I have known for a very long time and who I consider to be deserving of all the encomiums poured on him. Our path crossed in the 1790s when he worked as an Assistant Director at the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

    “Immediately he saw me as a Nigerian who valued service to the nation far above any pecuniary interest, we stuck together. Severally, he had to travel to the far end of the country at very short notices.

    “He did this without grumbling or complaint. Never minding there was little connectivity via bus, this means he had to connect where he was heading via routes that put him at risk.

    “On one of such occasions, he was mandated to take a trip to Yola. On his way back, due to the bad weather, his plane was forced to crash-land at Kaduna. Thankfully, they all came out unhurt.

    “He ensured the reports of the trip reached the office at the end of the day. I am glad to confirm to you that the same Basorun is still the same person who offered quality service above personal interest.”

    Ashafa, who was the book launcher, said the celebrant had become synonymous with hard work, service, integrity and fairness.

    The Lagos senator noted that Basorun propelled great things in the country.

    He said: “Considering his path as a lawyer, banker and Second Republic SSG in the civilian administration of Lagos State, his wealth of experience will continue to be of immense value.

    “On this note, I must thank him for taking the pain to document his journey in the service of humanity and God so far in life. His wisdom and direction were very key in stabilising the Lagos East Senatorial District.”

    Omotunde said the book would assist those who want to understand the path the politician took to arrive at the exploit he made.

    He added: “The book marks a new milestone in the life of this leader. The fact is that God has a purpose for him. That is why He kept him alive at 80. We should give thanks to God for him.

    “In writing the book, you have to understand the man very well: his journey, battles and triumphs. That is to say you must study, read about the man. In doing that, I have learnt a lot about the journey of life.”

  • How to make new constitution, by Basorun

    How to make new constitution, by Basorun

    Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) chieftain and former Secretary to Lagos State Government, Apostle Olorunfunmi Basorun has called for the setting up of a Constituent Assembly to give final approval to the constitution review embarked upon by the National Assembly.

    The politician, who was a member of the Abuja Constitutional Conference set up by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2006, said the Constituent Assembly should consider the 43 items on the review agenda within 60 days to give the exercise legitimacy. He spoke with our correspondent in Lagos.

    Basorun urged the National Assembly and the executive to come up with a Bill spelling out the composition of the Constituent Assembly, its modus operandi, adding that, once it is assented to by the President, the coast would be clear for a thorough amendment.

    He suggested that the members of the Constituent Assembly should be 960, stressing that 466 should come from the National Assembly, another 469 should be popularly elected from 360 federal constituencies and 109 senatorial districts, while 22 others should be selected from professional bodies, including the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), Academic Staff of Nigerian Universities (ASUU), women societies, Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) retired jurists and labour unions.

    Basorun, who was also Education Commissioner in Lagos State for three months, submitted a memorandum on local government administration to the National Assembly. He said there is no need to list the local governments in the amended constitution, adding that states should take responsibilities for the creation, funding and control of councils.

    He added: “Local government creation, structure, finance, and administration should be made exclusive function of the state governments. If need be, Section 7 and 152 can be strengthened to accommodate stiff sanctions in order to ensure compliance by the governors of laws enacted by the state Houses of Assembly relating to sharing of allocations.”