The federal lawmaker representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency, Busayo Oluwole Oke, has called for the scrapping of state governments in Nigeria, insisting that they have become obstacles to grassroots development and are the major cause of insecurity and underdevelopment.
According to him, rural and local communities have been neglected for too long, leaving citizens in hardship.
Oke stated this on Wednesday in an interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, monitored by DAILY POST correspondent in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
He attributed the challenges of governance to the states, calling for reforms that would mirror the United Kingdom’s system, where multiple layers of local governments function effectively.
The lawmaker maintained that the absence of grassroots governance was fuelling insecurity across the country.
He said, “We need to feel the impact of the government at local levels, the state should go. The state is the problem. I’ve gone round the world and here in Nigeria, the people at the rural level are suffering.
“The insecurity happening in Nigeria today is because there’s no government at the local government level and President Bola Tinubu has taken the bull by the horn with the Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy. That judgment should be implemented and respected.”
According to him, key federal institutions such as the Ministry of Finance, the Attorney General, and the Central Bank of Nigeria, have already complied with Supreme Court rulings, ensuring that allocations now go directly to local councils.
Speaking on Osun State, Oke accused the state government of political manipulation and mismanagement of funds, adding that instead of fostering development, the state had engaged in propaganda against federal officials.
“Osun State government has been all over the place, blackmailing President, blackmailing Attorney General, blackmailing Minister of Arms, blackmailing CBN, blackmailing the former governor of the state. Osun has been a scam. Ask the traditional rulers in Osun State the last time they got what is due to them. They don’t get their 5 per cent,” he alleged.
Meanwhile, Oke highlighted the need for immediate constitutional amendments and pointed out that Nigeria has not held a population census since 2006, which makes planning and representation less effective.
State governments are obstacles to grassroots’ development – Federal lawmaker Oke