Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, has given reasons why he supports the call for restructuring of Nigeria, saying he supports the call for restructuring because it would help “devolve powers to state governments.”
Speaking at the unveiling of a book titled “We Can’t All Be Wrong: Nigeria and the Restructuring Debate,” by Dr Ethelbert Okere, in Abuja, the Waziri of Adamawa warned that with the world gradually moving away from oil, Nigeria is equally at the risk of extinction of it fails to restructure.
Represented by Oladimeji Fabiyi, Atiku said, ”I support restructuring for three main things. It will help to devolve powers to state governments, allowing the federal government to focus on a few nationally critical was and become more efficient and lean.
“This will then reduce the focus on the federal government and federal power. It will bring us more in line with federal systems that actually work well. And it will result in greater sense of justice, and peace and unity
“Restructuring will result in financially more viable federating units (stars or zones), with greater autonomy which will allow them to develop at their own paces, address peculiar local issues, and unleash their potentials, thus helping the country to reach its potentials. Competitive federalism or healthy competition among our federating units will return to our polity.
“It will help to reposition the country economically as oil loses significance as an energy source for the world and the revenue source for our country.
“Our current structure has been sustained by oil revenues. We can’t afford to wait till oil becomes insignificant before we reposition our country.” NAN
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