Former Governor of Anambra State, Dr. Chukwuemeka Ezeife says the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari does not appear to be interested in the nation’s progress.
He said that this was evident in the current administration’s refusal to restructure the federation and alleged lopsidedness in appointments.
Ezeife said it was high time the country returned to “regional” government, saying that the present “unitary federalism” being practised in the country has failed.
According to him, the Federal Government has refused to restructure because it was being advised by people who have the wrong idea of restructuring.
Ezeife spoke in an interview published by Sunday Sun while answering a question on the Federal Government’s reluctance to restructure the federation.
“Their idea of restructuring is resource control. And they believe that with the restructuring, oil money will go to only oil-producing areas. This is the biggest lie. You don’t do such things in politics. You manage things to survive. You must build up internally generated revenue for the local governments and for states before you switch off the oil money. But even the oil money doesn’t need to be switched off. Shouldn’t we actually nationalise the mining of crude oil? Should individuals own these oil wells which yield money they cannot use? It is wrong to think of restructuring as resource control.
“Two, sometimes one is surprised whether the Federal Government is awake or asleep. The South, Middle Belt Forum took the government to court on the issue of ignoring or violating the federal character provided for in the constitution. This has been some months now. But what has happened recently, I understand, that the new appointments made into Customs Service, that eight highest positions in the Customs Service are held by northerners. If it is true, is the government actually awake? Is the government aware of the suit against it on federal character? Or is it just impunity and insensitivity? I don’t know.”
“You asked me about the Federal Government that is why I am answering like this. I don’t understand how it is working and people are being massacred everywhere and nobody is being prosecuted for the massacring. Instead, things that are clear that Nigerians don’t want, the government is foisting them on people – RUGA and equivalent of RUGA, which takes other names.
“I don’t think that the progress of Nigeria is the concern of the Federal Government. Maybe it has a narrower concern which doesn’t allow it to think about the happenings in the country,” Ezeife said.
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