A former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, has canvassed support for the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government while calling for a new political system that takes into cognizance Nigerian culture and tradition.
In its quest to embrace democratic rule, he recalled that the country adopted a presidential system of government with components that created a high cost of governance.
The former Nigerian leader made the statement at the Yakubu Gowon Centre in Abuja while receiving a delegation of the Hon. Kingsley Chinda-led parliamentary caucus campaigning for a return to the parliamentary system of government as a result of the high cost of governance associated with the present system and the need for a responsive and responsible system of government.
He said: “I believe in democracy; all my actions as a soldier supported democracy, and I initiated policies that reduced the high cost of governance.
“As you rightly pointed out, the presidential system of government didn’t consider our culture and tradition because we wanted democracy.”
Gowon said the country had undergone restructuring several times; as a result, efforts were made to ensure that agitations for such an exercise did not lead to the country’s breakdown.
“Any other restructuring to make the country better, I am all for it. Do you believe in your country or not? If you do not believe in your country, then nothing you do will work.
“If we have a problem, we have to solve it together. The American presidential system we borrowed, we swallowed hook, line, and sinker,” he said.
He said that returning to a parliamentary system devoid of the country’s culture and tradition would be retrogressive.
“Yes, we need a change, but remember, if you go back to regionalism, the time has passed,” Gowon advised.
The group had listed the high cost of governance associated with the presidential system of government and the need for a responsive and responsible government system as the rationale behind the drive to change the system of government.
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