Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has reiterated the need for Nigeria to practice fiscal federalism as the country did in its early years of independence.
Speaking at the policy and book presentation in Abuja on Tuesday by Dr. Zainab Usman, Director of the Carnegie Africa Programme, El-Rufai harped on restructuring of the country in order to allow for more revenue allocation to the states.
He said if the revenue sharing is reversed to 20 per cent for the federal government and 80 per cent for states, the federal government will then relinquish most of its current responsibilities to the states.
El-Rufai stated that the new formula will be the only way citizens can hold governors to account.
The governor said the theme of the event, which was on how Nigeria can build a post-oil economic future, was crucial, noting that if the country doesn’t end fuel subsidy now, the economy might go bankrupt sooner than expected.
“If we reverse the revenue allocation and the federal government has only 20 per cent, and 80 per cent goes to the states, then you go to the exclusive list and revert to the 1963 Constitution where the FG had limited functions and most of the functions went to the states.
“If your general hospitals don’t work, if your primary schools don’t work, if your secondary schools don’t work, and so on. You ask your governor. Then things will begin to change. The states will have enough resources to compete, just like in the days of regional governments,” he said.
Also speaking, a former Central Bank governor, Prof. Charles Soludo, called for devolution of powers, saying Nigeria is the only country in the world with three federating units.
Soludo, who is the Anambra State governor, stressed the need for the country to have what he called “real fiscal federalism”.
“The FG, states and the local governments are an anomaly, and it is time to face real fiscal federalism. The federal government is now an octopus with huge costs. The FG has close to 1000 MDAs and attempts to run the entire country from Abuja. This is wrong in a federal structure. We will have to take deliberate steps to incentivise the growth of institutions from below,” he said.
Recall that the restructuring committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) chaired by El-Rufai, came up with a number of recommendations aimed at fostering true federalism in the country.
The APC had listed restructuring as part of its campaign promises to Nigerians prior to the 2015 elections, which brought the party to power.
The committee recommended, among other things, that power be devolved to states on issues such as policing and resource control.
However, a few weeks before the end of the APC-led government, the party has yet to implement the recommendations made by the El-Rufai committee.