BENIN CITY – As the battle for 2023 presidential election draws near, the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has advocated for a swift reversal of the centralization of power and concentration of resources at the centre.

Abubakar said this while delivering the 11th convocation lecture of Achievers University, Owo, Ondo State with the topic “Diversity, Education and Autonomy: Developing Nigeria in the Years Ahead” noted that it is a cog in the wheels of the nation of development and progress.

According to him “The excessive centralization of power and concentration of resources in the federal government have not served us well.

“Instead, they have encouraged a domineering all-knowing federal government that stretches itself into every aspect of our lives with little positive results to show.

“Rather we have had excessive corruption, mediocrity, generations of citizens who hope to become rich without work, emasculation of state and local initiatives and a lack of creative and healthy competition among states as they all look towards Abuja for handouts every month.

“The development strategies that have produced 13 million out-of-school children, millions of unemployed or under-employed youth, including those with university degrees, and a level of insecurity that threatens to splinter the country into tiny bits controlled by armed warlords are clearly the wrong ones. We must change direction.

“We must reverse the concentration of power and resources at the centre. And we must make serious and conscious efforts to identify the potentials and strengths of each state and section of this country and work to maximize its contribution to the development of our country as it is supported to develop itself.

” That is how you allow greater autonomy while pulling together. Greater autonomy for states will allow ideas to germinate from anywhere and blossom. If Kano becomes a thriving industrial city, Jigawa would benefit and soon become an industrial centre as well.

” If we support the emerging automobile centres in Nnewi, Kaduna, Bauchi and Lagos, the tanneries of Kano would be the natural local suppliers of leather to that sector.

“If we reverse the ongoing de-industrialization and attract tire manufacturing companies back to supply that sector, jobs will be created and the rubber plantations in Edo and surrounding states will benefit.

” If we have good transport and communication infrastructure and a reasonably free market, no section of a country would develop without the others soon joining in. Capital moves and expands to take advantage of new opportunity centres.

“Reduction of federal powers and responsibilities and greater autonomy for states would, for instance, allow a state with very low demand for university spots to decide whether its priority is another federal university or investments in primary, secondary teacher education to ensure that its young population has basic education, preparatory for possible university or vocational education in the future.

The former VP who reiterated his call for the autonomy of the constituent parts said the country needs to tailor its development policies and practices to acknowledge its diversity and benefit from it.

In a related development, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Raymond Dokpesi, last week, led some Edo state chieftains of the party to the government house to consult with critical stakeholders on the possibility of former Vice President, Alhaji Abubakar Atiku getting the presidential ticket of the party to fulfill his presidential ambition.

THE NIGERIAN OBSERVER gathered that Edo State is the 18th state the team has visited and they left Edo for Bayelsa to continue the consultation that would guide Atiku in declaring to contest for the presidential ticket of the PDP.
Dokpesi said with the myriad of challenges facing the entire country, there is need for members of the party to project Atiku Abubakar as its 2023 candidate.

He said “We have never been so divided as a nation; everybody now refers to us as the poverty capital of the world. All the indices clearly show that we are a failed state.

“Even in Abuja, we are afraid of the possibility of invasion by Boko Haram, bandits, and unknown gunmen. The APC-led federal government, without mincing words, has failed totally in fulfilling the promises they made in 2015.”
On his part, Uzamere said “Nigeria was at a very low ebb and needs a detribalised Nigerian to rescue the country and that is Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Turakin Adamawa who is prepared to be president of Nigeria.

“Nigeria is in a disintegrating state, the Zimbabwean dollar has more value than our naira. It is not about age, it is about competence”

Earlier, the Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, said only the PDP can salvage Nigeria and place it on the path of economic prosperity and sustainable development.

Among those in the meeting were a member of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Raymond Dokpesi, Senator Ehigie Uzamere, former Chief Whip of the Senate, Sir Roland Owie, Speaker of the Edo state House of Assembly, Hon Marcus Onobun, state Chairman of the party, Hon Tony Aziegbenmi and others.