Edo state Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has called on Nigerians to change the PDP Federal Government if they are not satisfied with their performance the past 14 years.
Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said this at opening ceremony of the Benin Branch, Nigerian Bar Association, Law week in Benin City.
Governor Oshiomhole also berated the NBA President for calling for proscription of the Nigerian Governors Forum which is a negation of the constitutional provision of freedom of association describing the action as proof of corruption.
“One of the fundamental rights of every person, including Governors, Presidents, is the right of association. If Presidents have the right to African Union, to United Nation, to all the other formal and informal gathering, how can the President of a learned community suggest that the NGF be proscribed on account of difficulties whether sixteen is more than nineteen, although he is unable to provide the answer. If we unlearned people don’t know, the learned people should know. Then if learned people don’t know that nineteen is more than sixteen, then I suggest that all of you should be proscribed.”
“I want to submit that the environment and the overall circumstances known and unknown that led the NBA President to call for the freezing of the right of Governors to associate borders on corrupt practice”, he added.
He maintained “I thought that given the role of the Bar in our history, if privileged people like the Governors went for an election and they have voted and the loser is being declared as the winner and the winner is being declared as the loser and NBA says scrap it, then there is a problem.
“Anybody who keeps quite in the face of compelling facts is not doing the nation any good. In any case, I do not need the Governors Forum to do what I have to do. All I need is the Edo Forum”, he said.
The Governor who was responding to a keynote address delivered by Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN) challenged the bar to speak up against the alleged 600 barrels per day stolen crude.
Governor Oshiomhole also called for the review of the revenue allocation formula in favour of the state since it is closer to the people.
Responding to the challenge of development in Nigeria after fourteen years of democratic governance Oshiomhole advised that Nigerians to change the government.
Earlier Joe-Kyari Gadzama (SAN) who gave the keynote address titled “Democracy and Socio Economic Imbalance in Nigeria; Role of the Law”, lamented the growing corruption and the dearth of the education sector in Nigeria.
He further said Democracy has been rated as the best system of Government adding that it is a system that allows citizens to participate directly in governance.
Deliberations will continue for the remainder of the week on issues bothering on democratic governance and the law and the challenges of women in politics among others.
