Oba Odutala emphasized the need for responsible governance, pointing out the substantial federal allocations and security votes available to governors.
He called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the security apparatus in the country to be far more proactive in ensuring the safety and property of the citizens.
The monarch who gave the charge in his new year message to Nigerians noted that year 2023 is a year that will never be forgotten by average Nigerians especially the less- privileged which was orchestrated by the removal of fuel subsidy by the present administration.
He commended the resilience of Nigerians and urged the federal government to encourage local production, discourage the importation of foreign goods, and implement social welfare programs to alleviate economic hardships.
The monarch highlighted the importance of promoting local languages in government offices and schools, making them compulsory for admission to higher institutions.
Oba Odutala emphasized that using foreign languages to educate children doesn't lead to academic success and urged a shift toward nurturing intelligence through proficiency in local languages.
He called for accountability from state and local governments, urging them to prioritize the welfare of the masses and fulfill their promises in 2024.
His words "Government should pay attention to little things that affect the lives of common masses. We should encourage locally-made goods in 2024. Invest in local manufacturers. The FG should stop importation of Ankara fabrics and facilitate establishment of their factory in Nigeria. If they want Nigerians to patronize them, they should settle down here.
"The federal government must encourage the speaking of local languages in government offices, schools and make local languages compulsory subject to gain admission into out higher institutions. It is only in Nigeria we train our children with foreign languages and we want them to do well academically, it doesn't work that way, you can't use another man's language to train your children and expect them to excel. The level of intelligence is determined by how much vocabulary they can speak.
"Nations that teach their children local languages are better than us. What have we invented since we've been speaking English? 2024 must change. Government must fulfill all the promises they made. State and local governments should be ready to be accountable to the people in 2024 because we know the amount of allocation they get from federal government.
"So the state governments should think about the masses and stop blaming federal government for their failures. They should implement social welfare for their people. They should stop telling us Tinubu, Tinubu."
