Human rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana has lamented the rate of infrastructural decay in the South-west region of Nigeria.
Falana, while speaking as a panelist at the 2025 National Conference of Egbe Amofin O’dua, held in Abeokuta, stated that governors in the region have abandoned governance for self aggrandizement.
He noted that this practice is a sharp disconnect from the legacies of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, and others who laid the foundation for the South West region.
He therefore challenged legal practitioners to be more proactive in holding political leaders accountable, adding that Southwest region may continue to regress unless political leaders are held to prioritise good governance and service to the people.
“The governor of Oyo State, who comes to work from his private residence, now wants to rehabilitate the government house with N63bn, an amount that can provide good roads and electricity across the state.
“We are always quick to shout about the misappropriation and reckless spending of public funds in Abuja but in Lagos, after spending N45bn to procure SUVs in the first four years, the state House of Assembly is planning to spend another N20bn on the purchase of utility vehicles, yet the people are wallowing in poverty.
“Ikorodu has been submerged in the last three days. If it were to be abroad, they would be using the helicopter to go and drop food for the victims, but what is being done for the people? Nothing.
“Education is in bad shape; there is no Southwest today that is up-to-date in accessing the UBEC fund. There are 18.3 million out-of-school children, including children from the Southwest.
“Today, the roads in the Southwest are terrible; infrastructurally, we are not there. Unfortunately, when they now want to flag off a road that they will not even complete, you will see them making so much noise, doing a ceremony; there is a need for a rethink”, he said
In his remarks, the leader of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), Chief Gani Adams, noted that the only solution to insecurity and economic challenges facing the country is restructuring and true federalism.
He added that regions can raise to challenges facing it with innate solutions, which brings healthy competition for growth, economic stability and development.
Meanwhile, the former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Chief Akin Olujinmi (SAN), called on legal practitioners to uphold justice, equity, and the rule of law.
President of Egbe Amofin O’dua, Mr Isiaka Olagunju (SAN), urged members to protect and defend Yoruba heritage, expressing concern over narratives portraying Lagos as “no man’s land.”
The conference, themed “Regional Justice, Security and Sustainable Development,” brought together several senior legal practitioners and stakeholders, including Dr Wahab Shittu (SAN), Mrs Titilayo Akinlawon (SAN), Chief Olumuyiwa Akinboro (SAN), and Mr Kayode Akinremi, Chairman of the Nigerian Bar Association, Abeokuta branch.