The Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, has added his voice to the growing call for the restructuring of Nigeria as a way of putting the country’s economy in better shape.
The governor spoke while receiving various professional groups who paid him Sallah homage on Wednesday in Sokoto.
The groups included Sokoto Chamber of Commerce, Industries, Mines and Agriculture; Association of Resident Communities; Coalition of Non-Governmental Organizations, among others.
According to him, the country needed to urgently restructure the revenue sharing formula among states, local and federal government, arguing that state and local governments, being the closest to the people, must benefit more than the federal government.
“The state and the local governments are the closest tiers of government to the people, unfortunately, they are getting less than the Federal Government from the Federation Account.
“The ugly trend should be reversed in favour of states and local governments to enable them meet the overwhelming demands of the grassroots,” the governor said.
The former House of Representatives Speaker rejected calls for the “geographical” restructuring of Nigeria, saying that instead, the country should focus on “fiscal” restructuring.
He urged aggrieved groups across Nigeria to eschew violence and adopt dialogue to resolve their differences with government.
Tambuwal said he believes “in the unity of the country and the unity of Nigeria is non-negotiable.”
“Dialogue is also the most potent tool to resolve all problems, anywhere and at anytime,” he said.
“There are really challenges in Nigeria, and it is not peculiar to the nation, and these challenges are surmountable.”
He promised to revive ailing industries in the state in partnership with the chamber, and adopt policies to bolster trade and commerce.
The governor told the group of non-indigenes living in the state that they are equal partners in running the affairs of the state.
He noted that the administration would not discriminate against anyone, irrespective their background.
In their separate responses, the President of the Chamber, Kabiru Tafida, and Augustine Onumba, Chairman of the association of resident communities, commended the governor for his commitment to the development of the state.
