The lawmaker representing Obokun/Oriade Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, Hon. Busayo Oke, has called for the abolition of state governments in Nigeria, insisting that they have become stumbling blocks to grassroots development and major contributors to insecurity across the country.
Oke, who made the call during an exclusive interview on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, on Wednesday, argued that the concentration of power at the state level had deprived rural communities of meaningful governance and development.
“We need government at the local level, we need to feel the impact of the government at the grassroots. The state should go. The state is the problem. I have travelled widely and seen how rural people are thriving abroad, but here in Nigeria, people at the rural level are suffering,” he said.
The lawmaker said Nigeria should adopt a governance structure similar to the United Kingdom, where multiple layers of local governments drive development. According to him, the absence of effective grassroots governance is fueling insecurity, stressing that the recent Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy is a step in the right direction.
“The insecurity happening in Nigeria today is because there’s no government at the local government level. President Bola Tinubu has taken the bull by the horn with the Supreme Court ruling on local government autonomy. That judgment should be implemented and respected,” Oke said.
He commended the Ministry of Finance, the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), and the Office of the Attorney General of the Federation for already complying with the ruling by ensuring allocations now go directly to local councils.
Oke, however, accused some state governments, particularly Osun, of frustrating grassroots governance and diverting local allocations.
“Osun State government has been all over the place, blackmailing the President, blackmailing the Attorney General, blackmailing the CBN, and even former governors.
Osun has been a scam. Ask traditional rulers when last they got their statutory five per cent — they don’t get it,” he alleged.
The lawmaker also identified gaps in Nigeria’s constitutional framework, including the absence of a population census since 2006.
He argued that the outdated figures distort representation at the federal level.
“Good governance requires adequate representation. Lagos is underrepresented, so is Osun, because populations have tripled since the last census,” he said.
Oke further praised Tinubu’s administration for reforms in the anti-graft war, noting that anti-corruption agencies are now more professional and law-abiding, leading to increased convictions and recoveries.
He cited advancements in information technology as a major reason why fraudulent practices such as “419 letters” had drastically reduced.
He also backed Tinubu’s Independence Day message, urging Nigerians to exercise patience as the government continues to stabilise the economy and sustain the fight against insecurity.
“President Tinubu has consistently respected the constitution by releasing allocations to both states and local governments.
He has given states what belongs to them and local governments their dues. The issue is what the states have done with those allocations,” Oke said.
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