By TDTM Reporter
Former Minister of Communications, Dr. Adebayo Shittu, has declared that his membership in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) will not deter him from calling out political leaders over governance failures across Nigeria.
Shittu, a prominent lawyer and veteran politician, argued that the country’s persistent development challenges stem from leaders failing to implement constitutional provisions effectively, rather than flaws in the 1999 Constitution itself.
Speaking on Tuesday as a guest on Frontline, a current affairs programme on Eagle 102.5 FM, Ilese-Ijebu, the former minister insisted that party loyalty should never override honest leadership criticism.
”The fact that I am in APC does not mean that I will not be able to tell the truth. I don’t fear anybody, and I have always been very honest,” Shittu declared.
State Governors Undermining Local Councils
Dr. Shittu launched a stern critique against state governors, accusing them of systematically sabotaging local government autonomy by hijacking council elections and financial allocations.
He argued that the constitutional framework is sufficient to drive grassroots development if state executives respect the rule of law and allow local administration to operate independently.
“There is never a perfect constitution,” Shittu noted, adding that necessary amendments can always be pursued through the National Assembly. “The problem is with the people; it’s not with the law.”
The former minister urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to go beyond granting financial autonomy to local governments and actively ensure state authorities do not divert those resources.
“If the President has been charitable enough to raise more money from the removal of fuel subsidy, should he not also insist that the governors transmit those funds down to the local government?” he asked.
His comments follow the benchmark July 2024 Supreme Court ruling that reaffirmed direct financial allocations to democratically elected local government councils.
State Police, Restructuring, and Oyo Politics
Addressing the debate surrounding state police, Shittu acknowledged the urgent need to tackle widespread insecurity but cautioned against creating state security apparatuses that could be hijacked by political actors for personal interest.
On calls for political restructuring—including suggestions to return to a regional or parliamentary system—Shittu maintained that structural shifts alone would not resolve Nigeria’s deep-seated problems without behavioral change among leaders.
”It’s not about regionalism. It’s about existing processes that they replicate without reviving,” he said, calling for focus on core developmental sectors such as education, healthcare, youth employment, and security.
Turning to state politics, Shittu raised concern over the political representation in Oyo State, criticizing what he described as the visual monopoly of governorship opportunities by Ibadan-based politicians. He urged political parties to extend equal leadership opportunities to qualified candidates from other zones across the state.
Reiterating his stance on the economic pain caused by fuel subsidy removal and exchange-rate unification, the former minister stressed that public policies must be judged strictly by their real-world impact on citizens.
“Just because they supported a policy doesn’t make it right,” Shittu stated. “The additional revenue available to governments must translate into better public services and improved living conditions for ordinary Nigerians.”
