A human rights activist and lawyer, Mr Femi Falana (SAN), on Thursday, stressed the need for the country to be restructured, saying the concentration of too much power at the central was slowing the pace of development in the country.
He also charged the All Progressives Congress’ governors not to waste time in implementing the Mallam Nasir El-Rufai Committee’s recommendations on restructuring.
Falana stated while delivering a lecture at the third anniversary of Governor Rotimi Akeredolu of Ekiti State held at the International Culture and Event Centre, Akure.
The lecture was titled, ‘The Nigeria federalism imbroglio: a pragmatic approach’.
According to the legal luminary, there is a need for governors in Nigeria to study the constitution “very well and take proper control of their states in terms of development.”
He said, “Though governors are already encroaching the exclusive list, they should go further. The list is no longer exclusive. Governors are already working on airports, immigration, roads, security. The Amotekun (in the South-West) is going to be regional whether we like it or not.”
In his welcome remarks, the chairman of the occasion and Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, confirmed that APC governors would soon implement the recommendations of El-Rufai Committee on true federalism.
Bagudu, who is also the chairman of APC Governors under the auspices of the Progressive Governors Forum, noted that the PGF had already set up a Governance Programme Steering Committee headed by the Governor of Jigawa State, Mohammed Badaru Abubakar “to evolve a common governance template as well as revisit all policy initiatives and recommendations, including those of the El-Rufai Committee on true federalism.”

By Peter Dada