Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has said that restructuring Nigeria is unavoidable because it is impossible to run a functional government under the current structure.
Speaking at a conference on ‘20 Years of Democracy in Nigeria: 1999-2019’ in Oxford, United Kingdom on Friday, the governor said the current structural “deformities,” such as over-concentration of power at the centre, must be addressed for the country to move forward.
“We are not happy where we are,” he said, stressing that constitutional reforms must be made to bring power closer and make political and public office holders more accountable to the people.
He decried the current economic policies in the country which he described as “built around allocations,” and traced the structural imbalance to “the political economy of oil.”
He disclosed that the ruling APC included restructuring the country in its manifesto in 2015, adding that the party has proposed bills on restructuring based on Governor Nasir el-Rufai’s committee report presented to the leadership of the National Assembly.
Fayemi, however, said it would be “cynical, misleading and self-defeating” to say that nothing has changed in Nigeria since 1999, pointing out that so many were recorded within the two decades of Nigeria’s democracy.
In his remarks, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State said he was frustrated by the slow pace of democracy in Nigeria, stressing that the country was yet to unfold its democratic potentials and provide people with the dividends.
The governor, who also decried the country’s deficit in housing and food security, urged leadership at all levels to promote unity and give a sense of belonging to all, emphasising that these would guarantee security.
Tambuwal said Nigeria needed leaders who understood the dynamics of its complexities, and advocated “pooling of best minds” to build strong and enduring institutions for the country.
