“Governors are being castigated and blamed for everything in Nigeria”

Dapo Abiodun, Ogun state governor, has lamented that Nigerian governors are being subjected to unfair criticisms by citizens.

The governor made the statement during an interview with Channels Television while answering a question on the viability of states.

The Ogun state governor, who was recently elected as the chairman of the Southern Governors Forum, said:

His words: ”Well, you know, it’s unfortunate that in Nigeria today, governors who have been entrusted with the onerous task of superintending over their states and providing leadership and ensuring peace and security, investment promotion and facilitation and looking after their people are the ones that are being castigated and blamed for everything and anything.

”On the issue of local government administration, these are constitutional issues that I believe we would have to rest at this point in time.

”We’re a country that recognises the federal and state levels of administration or a country that reveres federal, state or local governments.

”Now, the issue of reference here is the issue of Rivers State, you know, as of now, it’s the state House of Assembly that’s able to pass a bill into law that decides on the tenure of local governments Chairmen and executives and that is the position of the constitution as of today.

”When a tenure has expired, they should know that a tenure has expired. It is not up to the governor of that state to extend that tenure or anybody else, you know, it will be a dangerous precedence in this country.

”And this was the collective position of the governors and there would be dangerous precedence and abuse of democratic process for a tenure of an elected chairman to expire, and for anyone to imagine that tenure can be extended by one day.”