By Jamiu Ganiyu
The Head of Service of Osun State, Dr. Olowogboyega Oyebade, has described the current system of government in Nigeria as a civil rule and not yet a democratic nation as being opinionated by Nigerians.
The number one civil servant in the state made this known while speaking at a symposium titled “The State of Insecurity in Nigeria and Challenges of National Questions The Way Forward” organized by the state government of Osun on the commemoration of June 12 struggle now Democracy Day as gazetted by President Mohammadu Buhari.
In his words, Dr. Oyebade said “democracy is not just about elections for representation, rather democratic principles must follow all actions of government through the conduct of referenda. A referendum is a direct vote in which an entire electorate is invited to vote on a particular proposal, possibly to adopt a new law or new policy. Referenda can be mandatory as prescribed by law or voluntary as initiated by the legislature or government or citizens”.
He recalled that Nigeria had used a referendum before in 1959 and 1961 and could also be used now to solve knotty issues such as fuel subsidy, federal allocation, autonomy to the judiciary and the legislature, state police, local government autonomy among others.
Oyebade cited section 14(2) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) which says that the construction derives its legitimacy from the people but said the provision for a referendum through which the people could approve the actions of government is conspicuously absent.
The head of the service of the state concluded by given an instance of the United Kingdom where less than two years, two referenda were organized to settle some thorny socio-political questions plaguing one of the oldest political unions in the world when they voted in a referendum on June 23, 2016, to decide their continued membership in the European Union (EU).
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