By Adeyinka Adeniran
Former governor of Ekiti state, Dr. Kayode Fayemi has called for what he describes as re-engineering of the nations electoral system in order to correct the winner-takes-all approach among other anomalies.
Noting that the current system have noticeable inconsistencies, the former governor said, it is imperative that a review of the current policy that will create an alternative politics must be taken as a wholesale reform of our political system.
Fayemi spoke in a lecture with the theme “The future and challenges of the Nigerian Nation” delivered in commemoration of the 80th birthday anniversary of Ambassador Yemi Farounbi in Ibadan on Thursday.
He said, “If we are interested in the codification of a system of alternative politics that is consensual and developmental, then perhaps the argument to put forward, as a first step, is that our electoral system may need to be re-engineered away from the current majoritarian ‘winner takes all’ model.
“With the three major parties winning almost an equal number of states and the eventual winner garnering 37 percent of the total vote cast in the Presidential elections, it does not require much to see that this is a recipe for the inevitability of instability.
“I think it’s time to begin to look in the direction of what’s commonly known as proportional representation in place of this inadequate and conflictual first past the post electoral system.
“My notion of proportional representation is that each be included on the basis of performance in the national election. This will still guarantee that the winner of the election still leads the government, but it will not be a winner takes all system.
“My own notion of Proportional Representation will also include a synthesis of manifestoes toward a comprehensive, national integration outlook with all the parties seeing themselves as critical stakeholders in the national project and it will make for stability and cohesion.
“My sojourn in politics so far convinces me that any strategy for building sustainable democracy in a plural and divided society such as Nigeria must place a premium on electoral systems that will promote accommodation and inclusivity as a way of ensuring that the fractures and frictions that obstruct nation building are blunted and dislodged”
On fiscal federalism, Fayemi noted that restructuring as being advocated for by sections of the country should be less about redrawing the map of Nigeria, more about building an efficient governance system that is capable of delivering the greater good to the greatest number of our people.
He stated that the desire for a more prosperous future should be anchored on the principle of devolution of powers – that is, re-allocation of powers and resources to the country’s federating units.
The reasons for this, according to him is that the long years of military rule has produced an over-concentration of powers and resources at the centre to the detriment of the states.
“Also, the 1999 constitution, as has been argued by several observers, was hurriedly put together by the departing military authority and was not a product of sufficient inclusiveness. Part of the focus of such an exercise should be: what items should remain on the exclusive legislative list and which ones should be transferred to the concurrent list?
Other topical issues include derivation principle; fiscal federalism and revenue allocation; land tenure, local government creation and autonomy; etc.
“The fiscal burden of maintaining a largely inefficient and over-bloated bureaucracy is a metaphor for shooting oneself on the foot.
In his address, the chairman of the occasion and the former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran lauded the contribution of Dr. Farounbi to the development of the country.
He described him as a versatile scholar, an elder state man and visionary leader who has served the country in various capacities.
Also speaking at the occasion, the Chair of Ibadan Discourse Group, the organizer of the event, Chief Bisi Adebola said the celebrant represents so many things; a broadcaster, administrator and renowned politician.
“We have a stamp of his authority because he is an intellectual who spend his time in discussing Nigeria. He is an incurable optimist about the future of Nigeria. He is worthy of our praise, sacrifice and recognition”, he stated.
In his brief remarks, the celebrant, Dr. Farounbi expressed optimism and enlives the hopes of the people about the country, saying, “Nigeria has a future. We will get there.”
