A frontline presidential candidate in the 2019 race, Olusegun Mimiko, has said that his restructuring policy proposal for Nigeria would include a legislative push to change the revenue allocation formula to grant 60% of the revenue of the country to the sub-national governments.
This bold declaration, which was greeted with a standing ovation, makes Dr. Mimiko the first presidential candidate in Nigeria to promise to take such steps to devolve political and economic power to the states and local governments.
Mimiko, who is the presidential flagbearer of Zenith Labour Party, ZLP, spoke at a town hall meeting organised by a political pressure group, Friends of Mimiko, held in Ibadan, the capital of Oyo State on Tuesday, October 30, 2019, emphasised the need for a change of leadership in Nigeria.
The event, tagged ‘A Conversation With Mimiko‘, was attended by influential opinion leaders, politicians in Nigeria, members o the academic community, students, market leaders, and representatives of ethno-political groups across Nigeria.
Dr. Mimiko said that he would employ three methods – administrative, legislative, and constitutional amendment – to restructure the way Nigeria is governed for the good of all.
The immediate former governor of Ondo State said that he would immediately, if elected president, sent a bill to the National Assembly to change the revenue sharing formula in this regard. He also promised to set up a special bureau that would “tackle, on a daily basis, the issues of restructuring”.
“As an evangelist of restructuring, I have always said restructuring is not a north-versus-south issue,” Mimiko said.
“Restructuring will advance the development of every part of this country, it will ensure all the exotic minerals in the states are properly exploited to create jobs for people in the states and pay necessary taxes to the federal government.
“Restructuring is not about oil and gas alone, its about leveraging all natural resources that abound in all parts of the country to engender development.”
Dr. Mimiko also said that he would deploy the efficient use of information technology tools to fight the institutionalised corruption in Nigeria, if elected president next year.
Mimiko also said that the selective fight against corruption will never entrench the rule of law in the country’s anti-graft policy push.
He noted that corruption will be properly tackled with IT tools and Bank Verification Number (BVN) which will make it possible and easy to track the movement of money across the country.
“If we can track movement of money with the BVN, we can effectively tackle corruption. If elected president, we will implement policies that will limit the movement of high denomination cash,” the frontline presidential hopeful said as he cited a book, “The Curse of Cash” authored by an Harvard professor which he read recently.
“We will also reform the law to ensure that delay of justice is totally removed from our judicial system.”
The keynote address titled, “In Search of A Leader”, was given by Professor Dupe Olatubosun, a renowned professor of economics and billionaire businessman.
The event was graced by dignitaries and political leaders like Chief Segun Odegbami, the party’s Ogun State chairman, Wole Abisoye, secretary general of the Yoruba Council of Elders, Dr. Kunle Olajide, Mr. Bimbo Adepoju, Dr. Olapade Agoro of the National Action Council, Chief Akintade (ex-chairman of Odu’a Investment Company Limited), among others.
Dr. Mimiko is regarded, in Nigeria and internationally, as one of the transformational political leaders in Nigeria.
A globally recognised champion of universal health care, Mimiko’s programmes in Ondo State were groundbreaking in the key areas of human capital development, healthcare, education, urban renewal, and social security.
Dr. Mimiko in his presidential declaration speech in September 2018 promised to run a social democratic government with emphasis on restructuring Nigeria, bringing peace to the troubled Middle Belt area and North East of the country, human capital development, youth and women empowerment if elected into the office of president next year.
