Former Governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, has expressed concern over the deteriorating economic, political, and spiritual conditions in Nigeria, warning that if left unaddressed, these challenges could spark a revolution.
Aregbesola, who was once a political ally of President Bola Tinubu, made the comments on Monday during a panel discussion at a national dialogue on the Parliamentary Bill.
The event, organized by the Parliamentary System Support Group in the House of Representatives in Abuja, also featured former Speaker of the House, Yakubu Dogara; Minority Leader Kingsley Chinda; youth advocate Chimdi Neliaku; and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Benin, Edoba Omoregie.
The discussion was moderated by Nnenna Ekeji, a former member of the House of Representatives.
The Parliamentary System Support Group is pushing for Nigeria’s transition back to a parliamentary system of government.
In February, 60 lawmakers introduced a bill in the National Assembly to amend the 1999 Constitution to facilitate this change.
During the session, Aregbesola emphasized that Nigeria is facing a continuous decline, pointing to the growing gap between the rich and the poor, worsening economic conditions, and the erosion of fundamental rights.
He argued that for many Nigerians, revolution has become a viable response to the nation’s ongoing struggles.
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“We have seen worsening economic—even political and spiritual—conditions of Nigerians. You don’t need to be a nuclear scientist to know that. A smaller percentage of Nigerians are now prosperous—not that there is no prosperity in Nigeria—but it is decreasing daily.
“When I was born, and during my developmental years, wealth was not as limited to the hands of a very few people as it is today. So, what does that tell us? It tells us that we are in deep trouble. We would not be here discussing this if things were normal in Nigeria,” he said.
Mr. Aregbesola, who served as the Minister of Interior in the previous administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, stated that he had often emphasized that the core responsibility of government is to ensure the welfare and security of its citizens.
He argued that a society cannot remain stable when these fundamental assurances are not guaranteed.
“Whatever does not give appropriate opportunity or rights to the people will be resisted no matter what you do. If other things fail, people can revolt. If we are conscious of all this and understand the consequences of things getting out of hand, we would be interested in finding the best ways to govern ourselves,” he said.
Mr. Aregbesola strongly advocated for a shift to a parliamentary system, as proposed in the current bill, stating that it is unrealistic for one person to govern a nation of 220 million people. He reiterated that he has never supported the executive system of government.
The former governor, who introduced the parliamentary system at the local government level during his tenure, further warned that the “dictatorial tendencies” of Nigerian leaders could result in a new form of colonialism.
He likened their current approach to the authoritarian attitudes seen in pre-colonial Nigeria.
“If we go on believing that one person, no matter how capable, has the capacity to govern over 220 million Nigerians alone, without checks, we are kidding ourselves. By that alone, I am opposed to the executive system of government. I believe in a collective arrangement, which the parliamentary system best supports for a nation like ours.
“There was a weakness that led to our colonialism in the first place; it was a weakness. If you are strong enough, you wouldn’t be colonised. Part of it is these individual dictators we call rulers,” he said.
Mr. Aregbesola’s warning comes amid a heightened government crackdown on protesters.
Last week, the government faced widespread criticism following the arraignment of several underage Nigerians on charges of treason in connection with the August protests against economic hardship.
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