Oyo State Governor, ‘Seyi Makinde, has said leaders and stakeholders in Nigeria would have to reach an elite consensus for federalism to work in the country.
He said elite consensus is desirable to achieve the desired output of federalism, in line with the vision of its founding fathers, especially the first Premier of the Western Region, Chief Obafemi Awolowo.
Makinde stated this during the 2026 Obafemi Awolowo Memorial Lecture, held at the Efunyela Hall, Obafemi Awolowo Residence, Ikenne, Ogun State, on Friday.
He hailed Chief Awolowo for his vision and his stance on federalism as well as his insightful leadership, saying subsequent leaders of the country became too complacent.
“Well, I think we became complacent over the years. Papa Awolowo, before tackling any challenge, he would look at the data, the logic behind those things, and he would look at the science. Those were the tools he used to take decisions.
“But here, now you see that leadership is such that we just take decisions because we think we are playing politics or because we think, ‘oh, it is nice to have’.”
Makinde stated that he was following in the footsteps of the sage, adding, “If you look at the cardinal programmes of Papa Awolowo, you have education, you have health, you have economic emancipation. If you add security to it, that is exactly what we are doing in Oyo State.”
He noted that it is incontestable that federalism is the way to go for Nigeria, given its diversities, and insisted that its leaders would have to come together and pay attention to the future of the country, rather than its present challenges, by having what is called an elite consensus.
An elite consensus is a situation where the ruling class and political leaders agree unanimously on long-term goals for national stability, policy direction, and the preservation of the system.
Makinde expressed the fear that, without elite consensus, Nigeria might face more difficult times in the coming decades.
“Yes, I agree, true federalism is the way to go. But you need elite consensus. Yes, we all need to come together. We should stop thinking about the next election. Let us think about the next generation.
“There are two countries in Africa that have passed through very difficult situations, perhaps more difficult than Nigeria.
“I have been talking to our past military leaders. Some of them served in the Democratic Republic of Congo as part of the United Nations contingents.
“One of them said he was there in 1960. The other one said he was there in 1961. Okay, let us fast forward — 1960 to 2026, that is 66 years.
“The two former military leaders were there for peacekeeping when rebels overran Eastern DRC after they killed Patrice Lumumba.
“Now, in December of last year, I was watching on TV the president of Rwanda and the President of DRC. They were signing a peace agreement because rebels have not stopped operating in Eastern DRC. That is a period of 65 years.
“If we don’t do something about our situation in Nigeria, 100 years from now, we will still be in the same situation, because we have seen it happen elsewhere.
“Here is another scenario. Rwanda faced a genocide; almost a million people were killed in 1994. But if I ask anybody in this room today, if you are likely going to transit through a country to go to Asia, which country will it be?
“Very likely, it would be Rwanda. Because they took up the challenge. They fixed their country. And now everybody wants to go right there. So, we have to do what Rwanda did, if we want a change in our trajectory,” Makinde said.
The lecture was attended by former Governors Gbenga Daniel and Olagunsoye Oyinlola; Minister of State for Health, Dr Isiaq Salako; deputy governor of Ogun State, Mrs Noimot Salako-Oyedele; founding member/Executive Director of the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, Ambassador Olatokunbo Awolowo Dosumu;
Chief Emeka Anyaoku, who was the chairman of the occasion; patron of the Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe, Obi of Onitsha and Hon Ladi Adebutu, among others.
