Col. Tony Nyiam (rtd) a principal actor of the failed Major Gideon Orkar led coup against the military regime of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida in 1990 has slammed southern stake holders in the ruling APC, especially former governor of Lagos and Minister of Power Babatunde Fashola for behaving like surrogates, while praising Ambode for his efforts in the region.
Nyiam presented this view in an interview he granted the Guardian Newspaper recently. He knocked Fashola for not showing any interest in the development of the southwestern region when he was governor of Lagos.
In his words” When Fashola was in office, he was never interested in anything that has to do with the Oodua Investment. This is why there is a breath of fresh air, now that his successor is pioneering the Southwest integration agenda believing that the prosperity of Lagos should be spread to neighbouring states. This is not just altruistic; it makes economic sense because if you allow Lagos to invest in Osun, Oyo, Ekiti, Ondo and and Ogun, it will make these states much more viable and the economy of the region would be better”.
At the same time, Nyiam showered praises on Governor Akinwumi Ambode for not only showing serious interest in the southwestern integration the way late Obafemi Awolowo did in his own time but also committing a lot in terms of energy and resources to the course.
When asked if he believes that economic restructuring can star with the agitation for political restructuring as it is being championed, Nyiam Said “Reason some of us are interested in Ambode’s example is that it will kick-start same thing in other regions. It is high time the South South, Southeast and the Middle belt governors take after Ambode’s example and ensure that their regions are transformed by pursuing regional integration.
Nyiam explained restructuring by presenting the Ambode style, he sai
“I am mentioning Ambode because he is beginning to do what some of us have been advocating; that while most of us are fighting political restructuring, economic restructuring can begin and there is no better example than the economic self determination example, which Lagos is setting”.