The vice president of Nigeria, Mallam Kashim Shettima, has asserted that there is nothing wrong with Nigeria’s federalism, but its resources are poorly managed, and it also experiences poor accountability issues at different levels.
He made this assertion when speaking at the Leadership Conference and Award, whose 7th edition was held on Tuesday, the 8th of April in Abuja.
Shettima noted that Nigeria’s problems are not almost about the structure of our federalism as it is more about what he calls “a deficit of collective fiscal responsibility.”
In the statement, which was signed by the Senior Special Assistant on Media & Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, and delivered by Dr Aliyu Modibbo, the Special Adviser on General Duties, who represented the VP, observed thus:
“The problems attributed to the current federal system often stem from the poor management of resources rather than from any inherent flaw in the country’s constitutional architecture. To improve our federalism, we must not lose sight of the dysfunctions that have been allowed to fester under the current system.”
Also, Shettima further stated that if those of them at the national level birthed the promises thet made during campaign, the governors handle their state’s allocations with tactfulness, those at the local governments are indeed independentand responsible and “every kobo is deployed with the people’s interest in mind, then the structure will serve us well.”
The Vice President also added that the country doesn’t need to do a copy and paste of the structure and nitty-gritty of the federal systems of countries “like Canada or Switzerland.” He observed that Nigeria needs to work on “a model that reflects its own social, ethnic, and demographic complexities.” He stated:
“We must resist the temptation to romanticise foreign systems or prescribe imported solutions that fail to account for our distinct social, ethnic, and demographic complexities, but focus on a federal structure tailored to our aspirations. It must reflect our values, ensure accountability, and foster development at all levels. The only road to such a destination is through sincere dialogue.”
The VP also touched on the actions taken by President Tinubu’s government to provide an effective federal structure. He cited examples of the push for local government autonomy and the Supreme Court’s recent ruling, which states that all funds coming from the federal purse to the local government must be disbursed directly into their accounts, bypassing the state government’s scrutiny.
Also touching on issues of fuel subsidy removal and the current tax reforms, Shettima noted that they were implemented to guarantee fiscal accountability and growth at the state level.
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