Atiku gives own version as Nigerians await APC’s definition of restructuring

A national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday gave his own version of restructuring and said it could be done within six months.

This was as the leadership of his party also on Wednesday said that it has commissioned a notable antagonist of calls for restructuring, Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, as head of its committee that will define to Nigerians, the type of restructuring the ruling party promised them in its manifesto.

Atiku, explaining his own type of restructuring said that the Federal Government does not need to amend the constitution before rejigging the country.

The former vice president stated this when he delivered a lecture on ‘Restructuring Nigeria’ at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka on Wednesday.

His lecture note read in part, “Some of what my ideas of restructuring involve require constitutional amendment; some do not. Take education and roads for instance. The Federal Government can immediately start the process of transferring federal roads to the state governments along with the resources it expends on them.

“In the future if the Federal Government identifies the need for a new road that would serve the national interest, it can support the affected states to construct such roads, and thereafter leave the maintenance to the states, which can collect tolls from road users for the purpose.

“The Federal Government does not need a constitutional amendment to start that process.

“The same goes for education and health care. We must reverse the epidemic of federal take-over of state and voluntary organisations’ schools and hospitals which began in the 1970s, and also transfer those established by the Federal Government to the states.

“We do not need a constitutional amendment to transfer federal universities and colleges as well as hospitals to the states where they are located.

“The country can be restructured in six months, all you have to do is return the items on the concurrent list to the states.”

On the issues of different forms of restructuring being canvassed by the proponents of restructuring, Atiku said the situation was normal because restructuring “is a concept that means different things to different people.”

Speaking further he said, “To me, restructuring means making changes to our current federal structure so it comes closer to what our founding leaders established, in response to the very issues and challenges that led them to opt for a less centralised system.

Read also : Nigerians misunderstood the restructuring in our manifesto, says APC

“It means devolving more powers to the federating units with the accompanying resources. It means greater control by the federating units of the resources in their areas.

“It would mean, by implication, the reduction of the powers and roles of the Federal Government so that it would concentrate only on those matters that could best be handled by the centre such as defence, foreign policy, monetary and fiscal policies, immigration, customs and excise, aviation as well as setting and enforcing national standards on such matters as education, health and safety.”

According to Atiku, the ‘first steps’ that should be taken by the Federal Government towards restructuring the country include, “placing local governments under the control of the state governments, establishment of state police, reduction in the number of federating units, and “local control of resources but with federal taxing powers to help redistribute resources and to help address national priorities.”

On demands for the creation of new states he said, “Those calling for new states seem oblivious of the fiscal crisis the existing states are in and how dependent they are on transfer payments from Abuja.

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“If we are to maintain the current state structure, how do we ensure their financial viability? Obviously they would have to diversify their economies and revenue sources, but what happens to those unable to do so?

“One option that I have suggested is a means-test requiring states to generate a specified percentage of their share of federal allocations internally or be absolved into another state.

“We may revisit Chief Alex Ekwueme’s suggestion that we use the existing geopolitical zones as federating units rather than the current states.”

Those who also spoke at the event in support of restructuring were President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief Nnia Nwodo, and the spokesman for Afenifere, Mr. Yinka Odumakin.

El-Rufai had recently described those calling for restructuring as hypocrites and irresponsible people.

 

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