Cyber security levy: Blame your Reps, not Tinubu, Adebayo tells Nigerians

By Lateef Ibrahim, Abuja

Presidential Candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, in the last general election, Prince Adewole Adebayo, has advised Nigerians to direct their anger over the cyber security levy to their representatives at the National Assembly, instead of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, even as he adduced reasons why Nigeria continues to have leadership problems.
Adebayo, speaking at the interactive session of the Nigeria leadership series hosted by the Africa leadership group, said Tinubu didn’t pass the law, the National Assembly did.
According to him, “Your representatives passed the law, the media carried the news of the law when it was passed.
“So, if you don’t want the levy, stop talking about Tinubu. Just tell every member of House of Representatives and your Senators representing you that within 48 hours, they must bring a repeal of that law immediately.
“So, the government is not only one person. It’s a good thing that the President has suspended the operation of the levy but the way government works is that you must ensure that if you are against that levy, as I am against it, you need to let your representatives go there now and repel the law.
“If the law is repealed, there will be no levy to pay. So, we need to have a deeper understanding of our government. I am an SDP person , when government brings a policy and we are discussing the good or bad side of the policy, I always ask my party people, how did the elected SDP members vote? “I don’t want to look very silly to go and start opposing something which our members voted for. So, if we don’t like this policy and we can recall our members who are in the House, summon them for question, to say this law or this regulation or this resolution is contrary to the objective of SDP and the principle for which we stand”, he said.
Prince Adebayo also highlighted why the country’s leadership structure is weak. For him, the incumbent, from the state up to the national level, always want to leave a weak successor behind so that he,(predecessor), will still be relevant even after leaving office.
Said he: “This is the kind of leadership we want. Every incumbent wants you to miss them when they go. They will look for somebody who is weaker than them to succeed them. They are not playing to the strength”, he said.