Dr Yemi Farohumbi has described restructuring has the main viable solution to troubles facing Nigeria.
The octogenarian insisted that for the country to experience true development it deserves, there must be decentralization of government power, responsibility, and resources as only this, according to him, can guarantee more efficient and responsive public services, as well as increase local participation and improve transparency.
Of course, Farohumbi is not new to Nigerian polity given his experience as a broadcast veteran, a retired diplomat, an elder statesman and a public affairs analyst. This is a man who became General Manager of the Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) at 33, and had served as Board Chairman of several radio stations in the country.
Not only has Farohumbi made an indelible marks in media but has also served and still serving with so much dignity in the public sector.
He had previously served as the First Chairman of Broadcasting Corporation of Oyo State (BCOS), Ibadan. He's a former Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines (2012-2015), Chairman, Governing Council of Ibadan City Polytechnic and Member, Governing Council of the First Private University in Oyo State, Lead City University, Ibadan. Farohumbi is also a proud holder of the second highest national award in Nigeria, Order of the Niger (OON).
So it wasn't surprising his responses when City People, at an event recently, approached Dr Yemi Farohumbi, who remains as vibrant as ever, to hear his views on the state of the nation.
"Nigeria's problem is foundational". Farohumbi affirmed when asked about solutions to different issues confronting Nigeria with his experience of events that had shaped the country since independence till now.
He said everybody loves to talk about yesterday, and make references to the good deeds that past leaders like Late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, S.L Akintola and co had done. But that nobody is ready to discuss about how Nigeria got to its current predicaments and how to create a better future the generation coming after.
He noted that for the issues of sifting, escalation, starvation, food scarcity to be addressed, " the current structure of the country must be looked at."
"You have to restructuring in a way that the power and the money would be deployed to the levels that are nearest the people-local governments, states for federal. A situation which federal government has 68 functions in the federal exclusive list and controls 52.8% of the resources, that situation can not allow for growth at the grassroots."
On why restructuring has seemed to be a difficult task for successive governments in the country, Dr. Farohumbi has this to say.
"It's not that it's difficult. It's just that nobody loves Nigeria. Everybody loves himself. Those who are benefitting from error in the present system do not want to give up. Those who live in arid areas and they claim it's more populated than fertile area do not want to give up. Those that believe that once they have the grip of the center either directly or indirectly they will be able to manipulate everything to their own advantage they do not want to give up. They forget that Nigeria is like a human body. All the states, ethnic groups are like parts of the body. If one part of the body is deceased, the whole body will eventually become deceased. So the fact that they are benefitting now, and there are others who are suffering because they are not benefitting, the effects would be a total decadence of the nation which is what we are seeing. And that is why you hear the kind of fraud you get here. An Accountant-General of the Federation walking with 22 billion naira. The kind of money you will hear the former NNPC boss had taken. In a country the structure is right and the flow of money in and out is there for monitor appropriately would that happened? A body is appropriating the money for their private self. But they forget that when the poor can't sleep, the rich men will not have peace."
But despite all these Dr. Farohumbi is of strong conviction of light at the end of the tunnel for Nigeria.
"There will be light at the end of the tunnel. And why do I say so? You see they are underestimating those who are oppressed now. They are forgetting that human nature is such that those people would rise one day no matter how long. They will become stronger and they will free themselves. It will be like the Irish in the old Great Britain. It took them long time but they rose, they freed themselves. It will be in interest of those parading the streets as our leaders- political leaders, government leaders to realize that the nature of man is that when he gets oppressed he may appear to have given up. But at a point that I can't say now they would rise, they would claim their freedom, and they would have Nigeria of their own dream, not the Nigeria of leaders' dream. There will be light. It's inevitable."
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