Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State has said devolution of power to the federating units will address the myriad of challenges bedeviling the country.
The Chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum averred that Nigeria needed comprehensive rejigging necessary for national rebirth, considering its plethora of challenges.
Fayemi, who is presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress in the 2023 elections, spoke at the annual lecture series of Leadership Newspapers Group with the theme: “Resetting Nigeria: Culture, Politics, Geography and the Role of Big Ideas.”
The event was attended by dignitaries including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN); Governor of Gombe State, Muhammad Inua Yahaya; Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed and Minister of the FCT, Mohammed Musa Bello.
Fayemi, who admitted that reforming a political system was a “permanent work in progress”, said that Nigeria did not need a make-shift and short-term approach which would only resolve “some immediate problems for a season”.
He said greater attention should be beamed on issues such as strengthening the Local Government system, devolution of more powers over internal security, decentralisation of the polity, and the adoption of fiscal federalism which would be fair to all.
Fayemi said, “I would like to suggest that there are many domains of a national reset which we need to pay attention to than we have done before. These include deepening of the decentralisation of the polity, the strengthening of the local government system, the devolution of more powers over internal safety and security of the states and the adoption of a fairer system of fiscal federalism, the pan-Nigerianisation of citizenship rights on the basis of place of residence, the pursuit of new approaches to diversity management, the autonomisation of the legislative and judicial arms of government, a wholesome reform of the judicial system, the revamp of the civil service for radically more efficient delivery to citizens, and an institutionalised zero-tolerance approach to the fight against corruption.”
The Governor opined that those were the crux of the changes which Nigerians had been advocating for.
According to him, when leadership can understand the challenges and summons the will and courage to surmount them, the belief of Nigerians in the viability of the Nigerian project would become rekindled.
Fayemi called on Nigerians not to lose hope but rise to do the right thing so that “we can open a new chapter in our journey of unfinished greatness.”