Politics
Why Nigeria needs to be re-structured – Atiku Abubakar
People’s Democratic Party Presidential aspirant and formal President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar just wrote a piece on ‘Why Nigeria needs to be re-structured’.
According to him, ‘restructuring is not just about the devolution of powers to the states, it is about transforming the respective roles of the federal, state and local governments to perform more efficiently in matters of territorial as well as economic governance’.
Read the full piece below….
In a recent interaction in the United States, Vice President Yemi Osinbajo asserted that the “problem with our country is not a matter of restructuring…and we must not allow ourselves to be drawn into the argument that our problems stem from some geographic re-structuring”.
It is a surprise that the Vice President would take such a position and, in particular, fail to appreciate the connection between Nigeria’s defective structure and its underperformance.
It is unhelpful to reduce the construct of “Restructuring” to a geographical concept as VP Osinbajo does, which in itself demonstrates a lack of appreciation of the core tenets of the concept.
For the avoidance of doubt, re-structuring is not about the re-drawing of state or regional boundaries. The restructured Nigeria that a large number of Nigerians talk about, is a Nigeria that not only provides opportunities for everyone to work but even more specifically challenges every layer of governance to demonstrate the capacity to create wealth and jobs for the citizens.
Restructuring is not just about the devolution of powers to the states, it is about transforming the respective roles of the federal, state and local governments to perform more efficiently in matters of territorial as well as economic governance.
Above all, when we talk about restructuring, we are not talking about just constitutional tweaks, we are talking about a cultural revolution. It is not about re-shuffling a few responsibilities or resources, but about disrupting the authoritarian politics our democracy has inherited from its military and colonial rulers of past.
Viewed this way, Nigeria needs to be restructured. Nigeria has operated a faulty system of federalism, especially under military governments. Both economic and political structures are defective, resulting in weak economic management systems which, in turn, prevent all levels of the Nigerian government?—?federal, states and local governments, from operating at optimal levels.
Faced with the reality of non-performance, Nigerians have clamoured for the restructuring of the economy towards a more diversified structure. To make this happen would require that we establish and sustain a model of governance which would nurture a spirit of participation and consensus on key national issues and accommodate all the diverse segments of the society. In other words, if we accept the wisdom behind calls for a restructuring of the economy, we must be ready to build a foundation for its success: we must, in other words, re-structure the polity.
The federal structure is so complex with a very strong centre that it has succeeded in accumulating many responsibilities, and along with these, huge resources, which belong to the other levels of government.
It is all too obvious that the current arrangement does not respond to the needs of the people at the local level. We have all too often lied to ourselves that the politicians sitting in Abuja can effectively respond to the needs of a population in far remote locations as Kaura Namoda, Iseyin, Arochukwu or Bama. Only the autonomy of the local governments and the states both of which are closer to their people than the Central Government in Abuja can guarantee this and result in more effective decisions. Only when local administrations are on the saddle, will there be greater accountability for decision making as well as improved flexibility, adaptability and ability to change as a result of a reduction in bureaucracy.
I strongly believe that the restructuring of Nigeria will foster the spirit of co-operation and consensus in a nation of diverse ethnic groups, cultures, and religions. It is desirable, in fact, you may even say it is required to establish, nurture and sustain a strong and effective democratic government.
In this continuous dialogue, we should remind ourselves that restructuring is not a new or strange phenomenon. A number of developing economies have had cause to restructure their economies, for greater efficiency or to correct imbalances or to reorient them towards, for example, more open and market-oriented systems with greater reliance on the private sector as the engine of growth. Even the United Kingdom is restructuring its political and economic systems to enable a better union among its component parts. Businesses restructure for better performance. Even families do!
Working with the National Assembly and all other stakeholders, we will lead the process of genuine and transparent constitutional amendments, in order to provide the necessary stimulus and focus on how to restructure Nigeria that would work for all.
The Kano state high court has affirmed the suspension of Abdullahi Ganduje from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The court, while granting an ex parte order, also restrained Ganduje, national chair of the party, from further parading himself as a member of the APC.
On April 15, APC executives in Dawakin ward, under Tofa LGA of Kano, suspended Ganduje over alleged corruption.
However, the working committee of the APC in Kano subsequently nullified the suspension and punished the ward executives.
The court ordered that henceforth, Ganduje should desist from presiding over all affairs of the national working committee (NWC) of the APC.
The application was granted by Usman Na’abba, a judge, on Tuesday, following an ex parte motion filed by Ibrahim Sa’ad, on behalf of executive members of the APC in Ganduje’s ward.
The court directed the respondents to maintain status quo pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit on April 30.
Na’abba also stopped the state working committee of the APC in Kano “from interfering with the legally and validly considered decision of executives of Ganduje’s ward, essentially on action endorsed by two third majority of the executives as provided by the party constitution”.
“An order is hereby granted directing all parties in the suit APC (1st), APC National Working Committee (2nd), Kano State Working Committee APC (3rd), Dr. Abdullah Umar Ganduje (4th), to maintain status quo ante belum as of 15th April, 2024,” Na’abba said.
“The order thereby restraining the 1st respondent (APC) from recognising the 4th respondent (Ganduje) as member of APC and prohibiting the 4th respondent (Ganduje) from presiding over any affairs of the NWC and restraining the state working committee from interfering with the legally and valid decision of the ward executives of Ganduje ward.
“That the 4th respondent (Ganduje) is prohibited from parading himself as member of APC or doing any act that may portray him or seem to be a member of APC pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.”
On Tuesday, the Kano anti-corruption commission said it had filed fresh charges against Ganduje who was governor of the state from 2015 to 2023.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Dawakin Tofa LGA of Kano has suspended Abdullahi Ganduje, national chair of the All Progressives Congress (APC), over corruption allegations.
The suspension was announced by Halliru Gwanzo, legal adviser of the ward, during a briefing with journalists in Kano on Monday.
Gwanzo cited allegations of bribery against Ganduje by the Kano state government as reason for the suspension.
“We decided to suspend Dr. Ganduje from the party due to the seriousness of the allegations against him,” Gwanzo said.
He added that the suspension will persist until Ganduje is cleared of the charges.
Last week, the Kano high court had stated that Ganduje will be arraigned on April 17 on charges bordering on bribery, diversion, and misappropriation of public funds.
In a court summon, it was stated that the former governor of Kano will be arraigned alongside his wife and son.
The other defendants in the case are Abubakar Bawuro, Jibrilla Muhammad, Lamash Properties Limited, Safari Textiles Limited, and Lesaga General Enterprises.
In a charge sheet seen by TheCable, the state government said the offences contravened the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission Law 2008.
BACKGROUND
In 2018, Daily Nigerian, an online newspaper, published a video of Ganduje allegedly receiving bundles of dollars from contractors, which he stuffed into his “babanriga”, a traditional outfit.
The APC national chairman was the governor of Kano from 2015 to 2023.
The newspaper said Ganduje requested $5 million as bribe from the contractors who recorded the video.
In 2023, the Kano state Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) invited Ganduje for questioning over the video.
The former governor did not honour the invitation and instead instituted a suit against the agency.
In March, a federal high court in Kano stopped the agency from inviting or questioning Ganduje over the bribery allegations.
The court ruled that the agency lacks the power to invite or investigate Ganduje over the allegations.
Abdullahi Liman, the presiding judge, said the alleged infraction is a federal offence that cannot be prosecuted by the state anti-graft agency.
Godwin Obaseki, governor of Edo, has picked Omobayo Godwin as his deputy, hours after the impeachment of Philip Shaibu.
The 38-year-old Omobayo is scheduled to be sworn in at the Edo government house in Benin City, the state capital, in the next couple of hours.
Born on July 19, 1986, Omobayo hails from Akoko Edo LGA of the state.
He holds a bachelor’s degree in electrical electronics, and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of Benin (UNIBEN).
Shaibu was impeached on Monday by the Edo house of assembly.
His impeachment followed the adoption of the report of a seven-man investigative panel.
The panel was set up by Daniel Okungbowa, chief judge of Edo, and was headed by S. A. Omonuwa, a retired justice.
Shaibu was accused of “misconduct, perjury and disclosure of government secrets”.
Obaseki fell out with Shaibu after the latter showed interest in contesting the governorship election.
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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.
She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others
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