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Fayemi advocates more revenue for states, LGAs

From Victor Akinkuolie, Ado-Ekiti

The Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Kayode Fayemi hàs suggested for an equitable revenue allocation formula that will speak to the federalism Nigeria has adopted and give more resources to states and local governments to perform more responsibilities for it’s citizenry.
The Governor said there should be urgent need for a review of the sharing formula to 43 per cent for states, 35 per cent to the federal and 23 per cent to the local governments, saying this will go a long way to devolve more responsibilities to constituent units and reduce the concentration of powers at the centre.
Fayemi spoke at the weekend as a guest lecturer at the 50th Anniversary of the Centre for Historical Documentation and Research (Arewa House) in Kaduna
Speaking on the topic, “Unfinished Greatness…Towards a More Perfect Union in Nigeria,” Fayemi, said building Nigeria to the status of a country that commands global respect is a continuous work in progress.
He insisted that the 1914 amalgamation of the Northern and Southern Protectorates by the British was not a mistake as some have argued, adding that the country can use the diversity to achieve greatness if Nigerians would utilize the inherent opportunities.
He appealed to Nigerians to come together and urgently tackle issues that divide them if the dreams of the founding fathers including the late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Sir Ahmadu Bello, the Sardauna of Sokoto are to be realised by the present generation.
The Ekiti State Governor said all ethnic nationalities should be made to feel important in the Nigerian project hence preference should not be given to a particular ethnic group over others.
He explained that Nigeria, with over 250 ethnic nationalities has managed its diversity whereas some countries in Eastern Europe had balkanized into smaller nations while Britain is yet to find a definitive answer to the Irish, Welsh and Scottish question.
Dr Fayemi however identified sincerity in handling the issue of restructuring as a means of giving assurance to stakeholders of the Nigerian project that achieving greatness through unity in diversity was still possible.
He argued that issues of devolution of powers, decentralisation, restructuring and such other concepts should not be clothed in ethnic or regional toga but be used as an opportunity to re-imagine and reinvent our country to make it work well for everyone.
According to him, the evolution of Nigeria’s federalism has not served Nigeria’s best interests and it is not surprising that the polity has witnessed protests at every attempts at constitutional reengineering.
Two prominent examples, he noted, were the 2005 Constitutional Reform Conference convened by President Obasanjo’s administration and the 2014 National Conference at the instance of ex- President Goodluck Jonathan.
He explained that in the two conferences, the delicate issue remains that of restructuring (often dubbed Devolution of Power, Decentralisation, True Federalism, etc.) asking “But for how long can we continue to run away from this issue and continue to pretend that somehow it would resolve itself someday?”
Fayemi, who cited the works of Ben Okri and Uthman Dan Fodio, in the lecture concluded that there was urgent need to address injustice if Nigerians truly want the system to work.

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