- Emir of Kano, HRH Muhammadu Sanusi II, says he is troubled whenever the issue of restructuring is discussed
- He urged Nigerians to stop avoiding the more relevant issues that should be critically looked at when talking about restructuring
- The royal father pointed out that Nigeria’s structure is inconsistent with the economic resources and needs of a developing state
HRH Muhammadu Sanusi II, the Emir of Kano, says whenever the topic of restructuring Nigeria is being debated, he becomes deeply troubled.
He made the disclosure at the Godfrey Okoye University, Enugu, while delivering a speech at the third Justice Anthony Aniagolu Memorial Lecture.
READ ALSO: Minimum wage: Governors are not magicians - Amosun tells workers
Legit.ng gathers that the royal father urged Nigerians, especially the educated ones, to stop avoiding the more relevant issues that should be critically looked at when talking about restructuring.
He said: “In this country, we have developed a habit of running away from problems by creating diversions. If you look across the world, you will find every kind of structure.
“Here in Nigeria, we glorify the First Republic. We glorify the 1963 Constitution; if it was so good, why did we have a coup? It’s easy to romanticize the past. I have issues with this system.
“My issues have nothing to do with whether Hausa or Igbo are marginalized because everywhere you go in this country, the vast majority of people are marginalized. You find poverty among the people.
“My issue is that we have a structure that is inconsistent with the economic resources and needs of a developing state.
“We have created 36 states. We have a population of 195 million. China, with a population of 1.2 billion, has only thirty-something provinces. We have 36 states and 774 local governments. Let’s just think about it.
“In Nigeria, a developing country, you must maintain a president by constitution, a vice president, at least 36 ministers because the constitution says you must have a minister from every state.
“108 senators, 360 members of the House of Representatives, 36 governors, 36 deputy governors, and God knows how many commissioners multiplied by 36, 774 chairmen of local governments with ten councilors and the House speakers.
“If you multiply 774 by ten, that’s 7,740 at the local government levels; and these are constitutional offices. What is the result in economics?
“When I was governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), already 80 percent of the total revenue of the federal government was going into paying salaries of public sector workers.
“When you have a country of 190 million people and 1 million public servants, maximum, who are supposed to serve the 190 are already consuming 80 percent of the revenue, what do you have for development?”
PAY ATTENTION: Install our latest app for Android, read best news on Nigeria’s #1 news app
Recall that Legit.ng previously reported that Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, the Emir of Kano, said intelligent debate on restructuring must start, in order to end ethnic agitations across Nigeria.
Speaking at the Union Bank’s centenary event in Lagos state, the monarch said there is need for the federal government to interact and bring lasting peace to the country.
Emir Sanusi blasts Nigerian leaders - on Legit.ng TV:
Source: Legit.ng
