The Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, has proposed a new revenue sharing formula for the Federal, state and local governments.
He stated this as part of recommendations for devolution of more power to constituent units in a restructured Nigeria.
Fayemi proposed a review of the revenue sharing formula to 43 percent for states, 35 percent to the federal and 23 percent to the local governments.
He made the proposal while delivering a lecture at the 50th Anniversary of the Centre for Historical Documentation and Research (Arewa House) in Kaduna.
The governor spoke on “Unfinished Business: Towards a more Perfect Union in Nigeria”.
Fayemi said that Nigeria as reflected in the second stanza of the national anthem was on an unending search for perfection.
He said that contrary to what many believe, the 1914 Amalgamation of the Northern and Southern protectorates was not a mistake, saying Nigeria’s diversity remained a recipe for achieving greatness.
“In essence, our desire to build a more perfect union should be anchored on the principle of devolution of powers – that is, re-allocation of powers and resources to the country’s federating units.
“The reasons for this are not far-fetched. First, long years of military rule has produced an over-concentration of powers and resources at the centre to the detriment of the states.
Two, the 1999 constitution, as has been argued by several observers, was hurriedly put together by the departing military authority and was not a product of sufficient inclusiveness.
“Part of the focus of such an exercise should be: what items should remain on the exclusive legislative list and which ones should be transferred to the concurrent list?
“Other topical issues include derivation principle; fiscal federalism and revenue allocation; land tenure, local government creation and autonomy; etc.
“All points considered, the fiscal burden of maintaining a largely inefficient and over-bloated bureaucracy is a metaphor for shooting oneself on the foot,” he said.
On the EndSARS protests, Fayemi said everyone that holds a semblance of power or authority in Nigeria should be deeply worried by the events of the past few weeks.
“What started as an innocuous online protest over police brutality snowballed before our very eyes into a mass movement that assumed more frightening dimensions.
“From the demand to #EndSARS, we have seen vigorous demands for greater accountability, and greater efficiency in government.
“What I understand the youths to be saying is that we the older generation have failed them by our inability to create a system that supports their dreams and accommodate their aspirations.
“From the language of their protests, we can see clearly that our youths feel pushed to the margin of our nation’s socio-political and economic structures.
“It is incumbent on us to listen to what they are saying and a lot more that they are probably not saying yet.”
He proposed that any restructuring of the polity must be “motivated only by our generational responsibility to perfect our union and to build a nation where peace and justice shall reign based on an operative principle that true greatness lies in building a country that works for everyone, regardless of the language they speak, or how they understand and worship God.”
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