Atiku Says Devolution Of Power To States In Nigeria Inevitable

By Ayodele Oni

Former Nigeria’s Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has added his voice to the call for decentralization of power from Federal Government to States.

Atiku, former Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), during last General election, was of the view that “excessive centralization of power and concentration of resources in the Federal Government have not served us well.”

He was delivering a lecture titled “Diversity, Education and Autonomy: Developing Nigeria in the Years Ahead,” at the Convocation of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State.

The former Vice President pointed out that “Instead, they have encouraged a domineering all-knowing federal government that stretches itself into every aspect of our lives with little positive results to show.

“Rather we have had excessive corruption, mediocrity, generations of citizens who hope to become rich without work, emasculation of state and local initiatives and a lack of creative and healthy competition among states as they all look towards Abuja for handouts every month.

“The development strategies that have produced 13 million out-of-school children, millions of unemployed or under-employed youth, including those with University degrees, and a level of insecurity that threatens to splinter the country into tiny bits controlled by armed warlords are clearly the wrong ones.  We must change direction.

“We must reverse the concentration of power and resources at the centre.  And we must make serious and conscious efforts to identify the potentials and strengths of each state and section of this country and work to maximize its contribution to the development of our country as it is supported to develop itself.

“That is how you allow greater autonomy while pulling together. Greater autonomy for states will allow ideas to germinate from anywhere and blossom.

“If Kano becomes a thriving industrial city, Jigawa would benefit and soon become an industrial centre as well.  If we support the emerging automobile centres in Nnewi, Kaduna, Bauchi and Lagos, the tanneries of Kano would be the natural local suppliers of leather to that sector.

“If we reverse the on-going de-industrialization and attract tire manufacturing companies back to supply that sector, jobs will be created and the rubber plantations in Edo and surrounding states will benefit.

“If we have good transport and communication infrastructure and a reasonably free market, no section of a country would develop without the others soon joining in.  Capital moves and expands to take advantage of new opportunity centres.

“Reduction of Federal powers and responsibilities and greater autonomy for states would, for instance, allow a state with very low demand for university spots to decide whether its priority is another federal university or investments in primary, secondary teacher education to ensure that its young population has basic education, preparatory for possible university or vocational education in the future.”

To the graduating students, Atiku stated that “it is your day, your convocation, your chance to go forth and show the world what you can do. To show what you can become. To show that you can lead. To show what problems you can help the world to solve.

“Let your imagination run wild. Imagine where you would be in 10 or 20 years from now. Imagine where Nigeria would be. Would you be satisfied with it? If so, what role would you have played in getting it there?

“If not, what role would you play in helping to get it to where you would be satisfied with its progress?  What would be Nigeria’s population then? How educated would that population be? What would be the place of crude oil in the world’s energy mix by then?

“What would that mean for Nigeria? Is there a role that you can play in positioning Nigeria for that trajectory?  Or would you just be fighting the wars we fight today over the sharing of oil revenues?”