The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi II, has supported calls for the restructuring of the nation’s polity.
Oba Adeyemi warned that the present arrangement will not allow the nation’s components to develop at their pace.
The monarch spoke at the launch of a book titled: Samuel Ladoke Akintola In the Eyes of History, in Ibadan, Oyo state capital.
He traced the first Federal Government’s interference in state affairs to the dispute between the late Akintola and the late Obafemi Awolowo, two prominent Yoruba politicians.
Oba Adeyemi said the interference snowballed into the crisis that occurred in the Southwest and ultimately in the death of Akintola.
On why restructuring is imperative, Oba Adeyemi said the North was favored with revenue allocation while more states and local government areas were created in the region.
The monarch said other regions did not enjoy similar opportunity, despite being federating units in the same country.
He said; “The first time the Federal Government interfered in a state’s affairs began when the government at the centre interfered in the feud between Akintola and Awolowo. The government, in support of Akintola, declared a state of emergency in the old Western Region, snowballing into a serious crisis.”
