FORMER
Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, yesterday, joined
those clamouring for restructuring of the country, saying it was the only way
to accelerate Nigeria’s development. Anyaoku, who noted that the country was
fast failing, contrary to the expectations of its founding fathers, admonished
those with hardened positions against restructuring to have a rethink.
Speaking
to newsmen on the occasion of a book launch and colloquium, organised by Amb.
Humphrey Orjiakor and Savannah Centre for Diplomacy, Democracy and Development,
SCDDD, in Abuja, Anyaoku insisted that the country would not get anywhere in
terms of development, if it retained its present political arrangement. Anyaoku
Noting that Nigeria had underperformed due to its current 36-state structure,
where all the states were dependent on the central government for survival, he
insisted it was time the country reverted to regionalism.
He said: “I think
that the Nigeria we have of 36 federating units now is not working. The country
continues to under-perform because of the 36 states we have now. No less than
27 of them can no longer pay the salaries of their workers. “The planning of
economic development is less efficient on the basis of these non-viable states.
‘’If we had six federating units, you would have a more viable basis for
planning economic development and those who fear that it would mean
disintegration of the country are wrong, because the country was doing a lot
better at the time of its independence.”
No comments:
Post a Comment