Following the renewed militancy in the Niger Delta and related
agitation by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), former
Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has said that the All Progressives
Congress-led government under President Muhammadu Buhari, has not learnt
from the past administrations on how to tackle such challenge.
Atiku,
an APC stalwart, also called for a restructuring of the country’s
unity, because every section of Nigeria virtually feels marginalised,
“meaning, they believe that other segments of society are prospering in
ways they are not.”
Atiku was the number two citizen between 1999 and 2007 under Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.
Speaking
yesterday in Abuja at the public presentation of a book; We are all
Biafrians, written by a journalist and scholar, Chido Onumah, the former
vice-president said, the current “federal government is too big and too
powerful relative to the federating states; that situation needs to
change, and calling for that change is patriotic.”
When asked to
comment on the farmers/herdsmen skirmishes and similar agitations in
some parts of the country and efforts by the current administration to
nip them in the bud, Atiku said:
“Again, here we come back to the
same economic challenges that are facing the country, but we also have
leadership that is not prepared to learn from the past and the
leadership that is not prepared to lead.”
While noting that the
“amnesty programme in the Niger Delta should be about stick and carrot
approach,” the APC leader, recalled that he decided not to serve on the
power committee under his former boss, Obasanjo, because the
administration did not agree with his gas-to-power idea.
By this
approach, he said, the system would be compartmentalised, whereby power
will be generated from multiple sources, hence there won’t be heavy
reliance on gas.
While recalling some of his blueprints as a
presidential aspirant in 2011, he listed amnesty programme, the creation
of Ministry of Niger Delta right in the region, introduction of coast
guards, as some of the ideas he propounded.
On the state of the
economy, the former vice-president urged Nigerians to be patient with
President Buhari, even as he commended the administration for properly
tackling the issue of Boko Haram insurgency.
Speaking on the nation as presently constituted, Atiku said, “Nigeria is not working as well as it should.
And part of the reason is the poor way we have structured our economy and governance especially since 1960.
“We
must refrain from assuming that anyone calling for restructuring of our
federation is working for the breakup of our country. Absolutely not.
And I reject that notion.
“An
excessively powerful centre does not equate to national unity.
Absolutely not. If anything, it has made our unity more fragile, our
government more unstable and our country more unsafe. We must
re-negotiate our union in order to make it strong.”
While urging
Nigerians to support a restructured nation, he said: “Greater autonomy,
power and resources for state and local authority will give the
federations units greater freedom and flexibility to address local
issues for their priorities and peculiarities.
“It will reduce the
premium placed on capturing power at the centre. It will reduce
insecurity. It will promote healthy rivalry amongst federations units.”
Continuing,
the ex- VP said what the nation desired now is, “first, a smaller,
leaner federal government with reduced responsibilities; this means
devolution of powers and resources to states and local governments.
State and local governments should control education, health,
agriculture, roads and other infrastructure.
“A true federal
system will allow the federating states to keep their resources, while
the federal government retains the power of taxation and regulatory
authority over standards.
The result will be a political and
governmental system that empowers local authorities and gives them
greater autonomy to address peculiar local issues, while enhancing
accountability and contributing to the general good of the country. Such
a robust federal system would reduce the tensions that
are built into our current over-centralised system.
“Second,
autonomy for the component states and localities to determine their
development priorities and wage structures.For instance, there is no
reason for the governor of Akwa Ibom state to earn the same salary as
the governor of Benue state or for a teacher in Orlu to earn the same
salary as the one in Abuja or Port Harcourt.
The costs of living and revenue generating capacities vary widely across the country.
“Third,
a tax-centred revenue base; modern democracies derive their revenues
from taxation whether or not they have fossil fuels and other natural
resources – personal income tax, property tax, sales tax, corporate tax,
licences, and duties.
Taxation is a sustainable revenue base and
one that compels governments to promote increased economic activities,
and respond to the demands of their taxpaying citizens.”
Speaking
on the motive of the author, the book reviewer, Professor Chidi
Odinkalu, said the book is never about the breaking up of the country,
rather, the author is very passionate about the unity and oneness of
Nigeria.
According to him, the book is an appeal to all Nigerians to embrace a country where equality, fairness and justice reign.
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