BEVERLY HILLS, January 08, (THEWILL) – Tunde Bakare, Serving Overseer of the Latter Rain Assembly (LRA), has called for the abolition of the 36 states of the Federation and reversion to a regional system saying the 36 states should be converted to districts to be headed by mayors.
While giving a ‘The State of the Nation Address’ at the church auditorium in Lagos, on Sunday, the fiery pastor, who was Buhari’s running mate in the 2011 presidential election under the platform of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), said the restructuring of the country will correct the fundamental flaws in the polity.
According to him, it is high time the restructuring was carried out to save the nation the huge resources consumed by the 36 states which he described as ‘good for nothing’ as he stressed the need for the President to demonstrate more commitment, courage and audacity to tackle corruption.
“Our 36 states, most of which generate insignificant internal revenue, are not viable enough to overcome our economic challenges and facilitate accelerated economic growth,” he said.
“These 36 states, overwhelmingly sustained by 24 allocations from Abuja, cannot guarantee functional infrastructure such as world-class roads, railways, airports, housing and urban development.
“These 36 states, largely unable to pay workers’ salaries, cannot guarantee standard educational and healthcare systems, or facilitate rural development.
“These 36 states should, in fact, become districts headed by Mayors within the framework of six geopolitical zones, because they will be stronger and more productive within a zonal structure.
“We seek Nigeria’s transition from 36 states to 6 geopolitical zones that will become harbingers of a united nation led by patriotic and selfless leaders.”
Bakare also declared that Buhari’s government is not lacking direction but insisted that it had failed in communicating the direction of its change agenda to the Nigerian people saying this has associated the word with unpleasant experiences by Nigerians.
“I have heard concerned citizens attribute Nigeria’s current challenges to a lack of direction by the present administration,” he said.
“I beg to disagree with this opinion no matter how widely held. Right from his inaugural address, President Buhari outlined a three-point policy thrust that included combating insecurity, tackling corruption and dealing with unemployment through diversification.
“For a relatively long time, perhaps understandably due to the quagmire it met on ground, but also due to insufficient coordination of strategies, the government failed to effectively communicate its direction as encapsulated in the ‘Change’ agenda.
“Due to the communication gaps, the word is now associated with unpleasant experiences by Nigerians.”
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