Obaseki: Nigeria must redesign system, decentralise power for survival

Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki says Nigeria’s current system is expired, reiterating the need to redesign the system to address the country’s challenges and place the nation on the path of growth and prosperity.

Obaseki said the federal system and over-centralisation of power were limiting the nation’s capacity to realise its full potential.

The governor said this while speaking to journalists in Benin, the Edo State capital, on Monday, May 13, 2024.

He said: “Unless we redesign the system, we will not get the full potential of the country. If you are relying on crude oil, the system should allow you to produce more. Today, we are producing 1.2 million barrels per day and it cannot keep us.

“The only way you can improve it is to say in Edo State, you have 107 wells, and only 53 are producing, Mr. Governor, take, get people to explore, whatever you produce; keep this, give us that; will I not jump to it?

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“Zamfara State, you have these mining sites, go, own your licenses, and we will help you supervise this. Will they not jump at it? Pay 60 or 40 per cent into the federation account. Unless we grow to that, we will not increase our revenue. Even security will not grow, and you cannot secure this country from the center anymore. So, our country needs a redesign urgently. This design has expired, redesign.”

Obaseki added: “Some people pushed this in our recent history. The late Bola Ige was one and he said all politics was local, and that he was first a Yoruba man before being a Nigerian. Late Vice President Alex Ekwueme talked about six regions. So, specifically, what do you think?

“We are where we are now, we are 36 States, and we cannot do much about it. I am not sure Delta wants to join us again to be Bendel. No, we are 36 States. How do we now organise ourselves among the 36 States?

“The first thing is to devolve power to everybody. Let us now have a strong centre in a different way. Let those who are strong enough be on their own, but we all must now contribute to the centre and not the centre taking it, and then saying, you, take this or that.

“It should be the reverse; otherwise, we will not get the full potential of the country because this country is too rich.”

The Star