6 FEDERATING UNITS WILL SOLVE NIGERIA’S CRISIS - ANYAOKU

CHIEF Emeka Anyaoku, a former Commonwealth Secretary-General, said that the only way to put an end to the problems and crisis in Nigeria was to return to true federalism.

Anyaoku said this at a public lecture entitled: “God in my Life,” organised by Torchbearers Society of Arch Bishop Vining Memorial Church Cathedral, Ikeja, Lagos.

He stressed the need for the country to become a federation of six units, with each unit developing at its own space.
According to him, a federation of six geo-political zones will trigger competitive development, thereby solving the crisis in our country.

“Our country is facing serious crisis and our leaders and our elites are living in denial of this serious crisis.

“When we were a country of four regions, we were developing faster with all the sectors in each region doing so well.
“Think of the achievements of this country then, the Universal Primary Education in western region, the agricultural development in Northern Nigeria and the Industrial revolution in the Eastern region.

“I believe we should go back to a federation of six units, where the six geo-political zones will develop at its own pace; that will solve two of our major problems,’’ he said.

Anyaoku said that the first problem was that the current structure of 36 states, with 36 state assemblies, 36 civil services, 36 judiciaries and all other components was expensive to run.

“With this kind of structure, it means that we continue to spend about 70 per cent or more of our resources on just administration. We cannot develop on that pace.

“And worst still, I believe that the present structure of an all powerful centre, which exists on the basis of anta to the states, creates a destablising competition for the control of that centre.

“And its competition that fuels the primordial sentiments of tribes and religion because each tribe and each religion wants to control the all powerful centre,’’ he added.

Anyaoku, however, called for the transformation of the Nigeria polity, which he said, was been driven by quest for power and money.

“We should transform the nature of our politics because our politics today breeds the culture of corruption which is the biggest evil that is facing our country.

“We must return to politics that rediscovers the values of hard work and that money is not everything,” he said.

Source: Tribune