Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Deputy President of the Senate, has called for the collapse of the 36 states of the federation into six geopolitical zones as part of a drastic restructuring of the country’s federation failing which the country’s development would continually be hindered.
The abolition of the 36 states, he said, would release the latent potentials for growth by the regions, which he said, were, over the years, foiled by the reckless derailment of the country’s federalism by successive military governments.
Ekweremadu’s positions were offered in his new book, Who will love my country: Ideas of building the Nigeria of our dreams, which is due for public presentation tomorrow in Abuja.
The Deputy President of the Senate praised the nation’s founding fathers, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr. Nnamadi Azikiwe and Sir Ahmadu Bello, for espousing federalism as the basis of the country’s federation at independence.
He said that suggestions that fiscal federalism would bring about distortive growth were untenable, affirming that even in a forest, not all trees are equal.
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The Deputy Senate President should just back is rhetoric with actions and move the motion on the floor of the Senate for consideration and adoption.
I believe that’s the way forward for Nigeria, that’s if we would want to be sincere to ourselves. The Federal structure as we have it practiced now is a waste of time. Just beating about the bush.
Coming from such a person, I will expect you just put it right into motion. It’s our best option to reducing tension and promoting development. It will in fact stem corruption too. The only stumbling block to doing well, towing the right path in this country has always being an inept Legislature.
a good call from an unfamiliar quarter