Oyo State Governor and presidential candidate of the All Progressives Movement (APM), Engineer Seyi Makinde, has taken a swipe at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over his prolonged working vacation, promising to transmit power to his deputy whenever he proceeds on vacation if elected President.
Makinde spoke on Monday during the North-West town hall meeting of the APM in Sokoto, where he unveiled his Reset Agenda for Nigeria.
The governor said Nigeria needs a total reset of its economy, education, security architecture and socio-political system to become competitive.
“We are determined to reset our economy. Yes, people will argue that Nigeria is rich in natural resources. But natural resources are not enough. You must have skills and knowledge, and you must also have intensive production. Our economy must work 24/7. Otherwise, if our economy shuts down at 7 or 8 o’clock in the evening, we cannot compete with economies that are running 24/7,” Makinde said.
He added that his administration would prioritize data-driven education reform to address the out-of-school children crisis.
“We want to reset our education. We want to measure the data that we are being given. We want to know how many out-of-school children we have and how we get them back into school,” he said.
On security, Makinde referenced the death of 37 youths in Niger State, linking it to failures in the mining sector.
“We also want to reset the security architecture in Nigeria. A few days ago, we all woke up to learn about the 37 young souls who were lost in Niger State. Is it their fault that they were born in Nigeria? Is it their fault that they were looking for means of surviving? No, sir. The answer is no,” he said.
He argued that the Federal Government has been focusing only on the supply side of illegal mining while ignoring the demand side.
“People may not want to take responsibility, but from what has been done so far and the actions that have been taken, we can see that we are focusing on the supply side of things. For every 10,000 illegal miners, you have perhaps another 10,000 on the demand side, legitimising the operation,” he noted.
Makinde called for the devolution of mining to states.
“Right now, the issue of mining is on the Exclusive Legislative List in our Constitution. Devolve that responsibility to the states and let there be oversight only at the federal level. They will do better,” he said.
The Oyo governor then faulted President Tinubu for not transmitting power to Vice President Kashim Shettima before proceeding on a three-week working vacation to Europe.
“And we want to reset our socio-political system. What level of government should take decisions on issues that affect our people? Finally, I do promise you that this campaign for us will be issue-based. And that is why it is concerning to us, and to me personally, that our President is on working leave,” he said.
“I have looked at the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and, of course, as a state governor, I also operate under that Constitution. Anytime I have to travel out, not for work but on vacation, for more than 21 days, I transmit power to the Deputy Governor. Why is this not happening at the national level?”
He cited Section 145 of the 1999 Constitution which provides for the President to transmit a written declaration to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives when proceeding on vacation.
“Section 145 of the Constitution provides for the President to transmit a written declaration to the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives when proceeding on vacation or otherwise unable to discharge the functions of office. If the President is unable, whether through sickness, a medical trip or incapacitation, to function, we are all human. Anything can happen to anybody at any time. If that happens, the President should also transmit power to the Vice President,” Makinde said.
“I promise you that, as your President, I will follow the Constitution to the letter. If I am not going to be available, if I am on vacation, I will transmit power to the Vice President. Record this and hold me accountable,” he added.
Makinde urged Nigerians to make the 2027 election a contest between the ruling party and the citizens.
