Makinde: True federalism will take away excuses from governors

Seyi Makinde, governor of Oyo state, says Nigeria will overcome most of its challenges if the country adopts true federalism.

Makinde spoke on Tuesday at the 2021 National Democracy Summit.

The summit, organised by the Oyo governor, took place in Ibadan, the state capital.

In his speech titled ‘The Future of Democracy’, Makinde said Nigerian governors are in a dilemma in the face of the current security challenges in the country.

He argued that as chief security officers, governors need independent powers over the security architecture of their respective states.

The governor further reiterated his call for the establishment of state policing as a way of curbing the nation’s security challenges.

“States need independent powers over their security architecture. We all know that without a secure environment, all efforts to attract investors will be in vain,” Makinde said.

“True federalism takes away excuses from governors and allows citizens to be more interested in local politics and its outcome.

“As we continue to deliberate on the future of democracy in Nigeria, let us remember that true federalism is the way forward. Restructuring the Nigerian state, and giving the federating units more powers is the route to economic prosperity.

“We are the Federal Republic of Nigeria, but our federalism exists in name only. Students of political history will tell you that what we have been practising is, in fact, a unitary system of government – where more powers are concentrated in the central government.

“There is so much power at the centre and another thing that our political theorists will tell you is that by nature, a unitary system of government is better suited for small countries, maybe countries with flat ethnic nationalities.

“Nigeria is not a small country and very diverse. So, you can easily identify why we are experiencing developmental challenges across the board.

“We are trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. For true federalism to thrive, the federating units should have more powers and autonomy. The legislature is also fighting for autonomy, which has shown that we have to devolve.”