By Law Ibitoye
Legal luminary and former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), has identified regional federalism as the most viable path to resolving Nigeria’s longstanding political, security and developmental challenges.
Speaking during an interactive session with journalists at his Ikere-Ekiti residence on Saturday, shortly after the 29th Wole Olanipekun Scholarship Scheme and 6th Wole Olanipekun Foundation Empowerment Programme, the Senior Advocate said restructuring Nigeria along regional lines would promote integration, strengthen governance and accelerate development.
According to him, regional federalism—where regions administer their affairs while ceding only constitutionally assigned powers to the centre—remains the “surest solution” to the country’s current woes. He added that the model would enable each region to negotiate its priorities, harness its strengths and work more cohesively for growth.
“Through regional federalism, the regions can integrate properly,” Olanipekun said. “Let the residual powers reside in the regions while the centre handles what traditionally belongs to it. I have said this repeatedly—and if anyone has a better option, let them bring it forward for Nigeria’s sake.”
The respected legal icon expressed deep worry about Nigeria’s rising insecurity, kidnapping, killings and what he described as increasing “inhumanity of man to man.” He questioned why citizens have become disloyal to the nation and hostile towards one another, insisting that the country’s problems are largely self-inflicted.
“The way out is to stop the inhumanity among us,” he declared. “We must love one another, be kind, stop waging war against our own country and remember that life is transient. The solution to Nigeria’s crisis is love, loyalty and sincerity.”
Chief Olanipekun urged Nigerians to stop concealing the identities of individuals behind insecurity and sabotage, noting that the government must be bold enough to name those undermining the country’s peace.
“We don’t need foreign intervention,” he said. “Let us expose those troubling Nigeria. Let us build a solid bridge of unity that cannot collapse.”
Reflecting on the foundation’s scholarship and empowerment initiatives, Olanipekun said the central mission is to “liberate the human spirit by dispelling ignorance, hunger and want.” He emphasised that generosity expands the giver and aligns with God’s intention for humanity.
“God does not bestow gifts for personal aggrandisement but for the uplift of many,” he noted. “When we release resources to the common good, we do not diminish our humanity—we reveal it.”
He recalled that the scholarship scheme began in 1996 with six secondary schools in Ikere-Ekiti but has since expanded across Ekiti, the Southwest and the entire country. Many beneficiaries, he said, were once brilliant but financially handicapped students who would have remained stagnated without support.
“At over 70, you begin to ask yourself: are you living only for yourself and your family?” he reflected. “No one is remembered for primitive accumulation but for the kindness and values they bring to society.”
Olanipekun warned against greed and self- centeredness, urging Nigerians to embrace humanitarian values and contribute meaningfully to national development.
“I would not have been this successful if I had not been impacting lives,” he added. “A selfish life is an empty life. Success comes through the benevolence of God. Nigerians must be humanists if we want a nation free of challenges.”