Former Governor of Bayelsa State and Senator representing Bayelsa West Senatorial District, Senator Seriake Dickson has joined the list of eminent Nigerians who have clamoured for the country’s return to the parliamentary system of government.
Dickson made this known while featuring on INSIDE SOURCES with Laolu Akande on Channels Television on Friday.
The former member of the House of Representatives described the parliamentary system as the form of government which suits a plural society like Nigeria.
“I am a believer in the Westminster parliamentary system. I believe that a nation that is as plural, as diverse as we are, I mean culturally, religiously, socially, in all, diversity in all these forms.
Yes. I think the system of government that best suits our purpose should have been the Westminster parliamentary system. And with all due respect to our military leaders at the time, we’re free to disagree with them.” Dickson said.
While he didn’t claim the form of government is perfect in its workings, Dickson however maintained that the system remains the only form of government that preserves Nigeria’s diversity.
“It wasn’t perfect, yes? No, it wasn’t perfect. And it wasn’t meant to be perfect. True. But we they now took us to the presidential system. Away from India, away from Canada, away form a number of the other countries.
“Even the UK. Even UK, of course. The UK? Especially India. Yeah. The same… Size, diversity and so on. When you have a diverse nation, you preserve their diversities, and you create a national ideal that protects everybody, that everybody is comfortable with, an ideal and a rational value that all can subscribe to and aspire to, that all can own up and defend and protect.
“Which was why the first national anthem, the one some of us started singing in the primary schools. Nigeria, we hail thee, our own dear native land. Though tribes and tongues may differ
On brotherhood we stand. That’s what the National anthem. Okay?
“Now we went to the presidential. And in the presidential system, what are you saying? You are saying, Laolu, that in a nation of 200 and something million people, in an nation of maybe about 80 something million and something registered voters, you are saying that all of us should come and you and select one person.
“You haven’t invested much in education of the people. You have done a lot of work in the economic sense as to lift the living standards of majority of our people we haven’t done enough urbanization most of our People are living in rural communities and so on.
“Yes we have made some strides and you now expect that all of these people will be nationalistic enough, will understand the national aspiration enough to realize that the man from Lagos represents their interests, to realized that a man from Adamawa, a man from Sokoto, a man from Bayelsa…. you saw it in 2015.”
