The Governor of Ondo State, Rotimi Akeredolu, has called for the scrapping of the Senate as a cost-saving measure.
Akeredolu, who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), said that the House of Representatives that would be left should run on a part-time basis.
Represented by his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, Akeredolu spoke Tuesday at the Akure Centre of the South-West Zonal Public Hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution.
The hearing held at the International Cultural and Event Centre, Akure.
“The position of the Ondo State Government has been made public. We advocate for a Federal Government largely reduced in size and scope of engagement. We want to see a Constitution that will enhance the performance of public office holders at all levels.
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“It is possible to have a government that will serve the people in deed and truth. The law of the land must aid this realistic expectation. We must reduce the cost of governance and shift attention to service delivery in this trying period,” the Ondo governor said.
According to Akeredolu, “The country may consider dropping the current bicameral structure of the National Assembly and adopt a unicameral legislature. The membership of the Assembly should be part-time. No member should earn allowances not known to the Revenue Mobilisation and Allocation Committee and, more importantly, people they claim to serve.
“Legislators should earn under a uniform salary structure. Allowance peculiarities must not be about obscenity. The Senate should be scrapped. The House of Representatives too should not be unwieldy. A maximum of four representatives should come from each zone.”
The Ondo governor said that the state also supported the creation of state police, devolution of powers, state control of resources, decentralization of supreme court, among others.