New Telegraph

Adesina: Nigeria’s ‘fatherism’ govt suffocating constituent states

•Twisted federalism responsible for sectional activism – Akeredolu

 

The President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, yesterday disclosed that constituent states in Nigeria would not make headway with the manner with which the country is structured at the moment.

 

Adesina stated this in Akure, the Ondo State capital, while delivering the inauguration lecture for the second term inauguration of Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and his Deputy Governor- Elect, Lucky Ayedatiwa, slated for today.

 

According to Adesina, the 8th President of the AfDB, the system of government practiced in Nigeria can best be described as ‘fatherism’ and not federalism as being made to believe.

 

While emphasising that the way Nigeria was structured, constituent states would find it difficult to be viable and attain the desired potentials they longed for. Adesina, who spoke virtually from Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire on the theme; “Towards A New Nigeria: From Federal Fatherism To A Commonwealth,” disclosed that for the country to be delivered from its quagmire, restructuring should not be driven by political expediency, but by economic and financial viability.

 

He said: “We tend to copy systems that are not well suited to our context. The United States that we copied from does not control resources at the state level. Instead, the states generate the bulk of their income from taxes. “What’s needed is greater economic and fiscal autonomy for the states.

 

The issue is less about state or regional autonomy, but financial and economic viability of Nigeria’s constituent states. “If Nigeria were to be a conglomerate firm, it would not be economically viable because 92 per cent of its constituent ‘subsidiary companies’ are not viable without the support of the holding company.”

 

The AfDB boss added that with good governance and a better accountability system, with a zero-tolerance for corruption, more economically stronger constituents states would emerge.

 

Adesina called for a change in the relational mind-set between the states and the federal government, saying the fulcrum should be the states, while the centre would support them and not lord over them. He added that there should be a new Nigeria, where massive wealth would be unleashed across the states. On his part, Governor Akeredolu blamed the growing sectional activism, which he said was gradually replacing national patriotism on the faulty and twisted federalism as operated in the country.

 

He lamented that most Nigerians are losing faith in the ‘Unity in Diversity’ sloganeering while saying that the only opportunity to restore national consciousness was through true federalism. Akeredolu said rather than building the nation, Nigerians are more inclined to ethnic nationalism, adding that the people had resorted to clannish satisfaction in place of nation-building.

 

While identifying insecurity as the most potent threat to national belief, the governor said the consequences were increasingly becoming more daring, adding that the time to act was now.

 

Speaking on the efforts of South-West governors in tackling insecurity, Governor Akeredolu said their fight was against criminality and not targeted at any ethnic nationality or business.

 

He said: “We are against criminality and we shall fight criminality with every legal means. It is in the interest of our collective wellbeing. “All we require is the support and understanding of all federating units, including the Federal Government.

 

The simple truth is that we have lived in selfdenial amid an excruciating pain that is almost cancerous now. “Notwithstanding our challenges today, my firm belief in the Nigerian Project is strengthened by my fact of a true Nigerian

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