Tobias Sylvester
The Minister of Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola has revealed why many Nigerian presidents are not loved by the citizens until they are dead.
The former Governor of Lagos State spoke as a guest speaker at the Yoruba Tennis Club public lecture, with the theme, ‘What can the President do for me?’
According to him, the poor understanding of the powers and lack of proper interaction between the president and the citizens was responsible for Nigerians not loving their presidents while alive.
He said, “Some say the office of the Vice President is just a spare tyre, but the statement is not factual, and that the VP has no power of his own is a lack of knowledge of the constitution.
“If you go through the constitution, you will find out that the office of the President is referred to 48 times. Twenty three instances refer to the power the President can exercise; nine of those powers are subject to the National Assembly; four instances refer to powers exercised by the President subject to other institutions; nine instances refer to the President’s functions and duties; three instances refer to restrictions on the power of the President.
“So, how is the Nigerian President the most powerful in the world? So, some are conflicting the powers of the President with the functions of the President, which is misleading.
“Some youths demanded during the EndSARS protest that the President should sack the IGP, but I educated them that the President has no such power and that the only power he has in that regard is to give lawful direction.
“Of all the Presidents we have had, Nigerians never loved any one of them while in office; we seem to love them after they have left or died. Why is that so? To me, the answer is lack of depth in interaction.
KanyiDaily recalls that President Muhammadu Buhari said Nigerians will feel the impact of his project after he leaves office in 2023.
