S’West govs’ rivalry good for democracy – Fashola

Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola has said governors of the South-West region are in healthy rivalry in order to deliver the dividends of democracy to the masses, adding that the country’s democracy and people will be better for it.

Fashola, at the Osun State University, Osogbo, on Thursday where he  was a guest lecturer at an Inaugural Lecture, titled, ‘The role of higher education in the development of a knowledge-based economy in a federal democracy,’ faulted the country’s centralised system of governance tied the greatness of the country to evolution of true federalism that would give each component state freedom to develop according to its capacity and pace.

He said Nigeria would not achieve greatness if it continued to adopt unitary system of governance, stressing that the United States of America thrived on devolution of powers to component states.

“It is wrong for only Power Holding Company of Nigeria to be the only firm producing power in the country. Let us free the country in order for it to attain greatness,” the governor said.

Affirming that “Nigeria’s greatness will not come from Abuja,” Fashola contended that the nation’s greatness would be achieved through harnessing the potentials of the 36 states of the federation.

He said the country must invest massively in education if her dream of industrialisation would materialise.

Fashola said, “Conflicts arise from telling all states to do the same thing. It’s like ordering people in the same house to wear the same size of clothes and shoes.

“It is wrong to order minimum wage for skilled workers because this will not encourage competition. Chrisitiano Ronaldo earns so much because of his skills unlike a player who misses goals every week.

Deputy Governor, Osun State, Mrs. Titi Laoye-Tomori, said the advent of Action Congress of Nigeria in the administration of South-West had brought development to the region.

She noted that the region would  continue to witness development and progress under the leadership of the party.

Vice Chancellor of the institution, Prof. Sola Akinrinade, described Fashola as an advocate of good governance, whose administration had impacted tremendously on Lagos State.

He said Fashola did not disappoint the university community in the delivery of the lecture, adding that good leadership was vital to development.