His Eminence, Cardinal John Onaiyekan, has said that it was time for Nigeria to change to a system of government that would reduce corruption and bring government closer to the people, claiming that anything that will bring government closer to the people, reduce discretion for stealing and corruption will be good for the nation, while citing the provision of pension for governors, saying it was not fair after being well paid to be legally entitled to houses, cars, and others.
At a policy conversation on a new governance structure for Nigeria hosted by Abuja School Social and Political Thought (ASSPT) in Abuja, the Emeritus Catholic Bishop of Abuja expressed his belief that restructuring, not constitutional amendment, will rescue Nigeria. In order to facilitate efficient local government and decision-making, he also supported the decentralisation of authority.
“It is time for a change. One thing is definitely sure, we cannot continue the way we are going.
”If we decide to retain the system we have now, it must change the way it is been practiced.
READ ALSO: Nigeria, Not Europe, Holds The Future For Our Youth – AfDB Boss
“If the easiest way to change is to change the system, then let’s go ahead and change the system to parliamentary, with all its advantages and disadvantages,” he added.
“My understanding is that the parliamentary system is built in such a way that will not be so easy to steal such humongous sums of money, and misuse of our natural resources legally.
“The problem of this nation is that government people are stealing legally, they don’t even feel that they are stealing.
According to the Cardinal, the Nigerian constitution has continuously fallen short of offering a precise framework for matters of religion and governance, which has left the system of government confused and ineffective.
