A former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar again said true federalism is the solution to Nigeria’s problems.
Atiku who was speaking on the theme “The Constitutional and framework for restructuing Nigeria for true federalism and natuonal intergration” at the Annual Professor Ademola Popoola public lecture of the Faculty of Law at Obafemi Awolowo University, (OAU), Ile-Ife, Osun State, on Wednesday said in a true federal system, the federal government may not have the need for some ministers as their affairs would be handled by the federating units.
“We have a government that gives power to the central government and leaves the federating units with nothing,” he said.
“The current structure can be called unitary federalism.”
“The restructuring of our federalism is not really a threat on our unity,” he said.
“The federal government has no point having a ministry of agriculture and health; they ought to only have units that will monitor the ministries. But instead they go on to appoint ministers.”
“What is the federal government’s business with having a health minister and minister of agriculture?” he queried
The former VP, also accused his former boss, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo of not taking to his advice on power project, while in office.
He said “I once advised the president not to invest in independent power projects but focus on captive power projects, but I was not listened to; the world is shifting from oil to other sectors and we are not doing that in Nigeria,” he said.
