President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB ), Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has proposed that the Federal Republic of Nigeria should be renamed to ‘The United States of Nigeria.’
Adesina’s proposal was contained in a statement by his Special Adviser on Industrialisation, Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, on Saturday, March 30, 3034.
The former Agric Minister was said to have made the call while delivering a lecture as the recipient of the 2024 Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership, titled, ‘Making a New Nigeria: Welfarist Policies and People-Centred Development.’
He explained that a change to the ‘United States of Nigeria’ would birth a new relational mindset between states and Abuja, noting that the states would play essential roles, while the centre would only support and not lord over them.
“We must be audacious! Instead of the Federal Government of Nigeria, we could think of the United States of Nigeria. The old would give way to the new.
“We would change the relational mindset between the states and Abuja: the fulcrum would be the states, while the centre would support them, not lord over them.
“With good governance, better accountability systems, and zero tolerance for corruption, more economically stronger constituent states would emerge! We would unleash massive wealth across the states. A New Nigeria would arise! To do so, we will need all of us, not some of us.
“From our forgotten rural villages to our boisterous and dynamic urban areas. From the sparks of desire in the eyes of our children to the lingering hope in the hearts of our youths.
“From the yearnings of our women and mothers and our men and fathers for a better tomorrow, and the desires of the old that our end would be better than our past. From the hardworking street vendors and small businesses to the largest business conglomerates, we must create a movement of hope.” Adesina said.
He added that “the achievement of economically viable entities and the viability of the national entity requires constitutional changes to devolve more economic and fiscal powers to the states or regions. The stronger the states or regions, the stronger the federated units.”
