SUGGESTED ECONOMIC SUMMIT: Sen Sani advocates 6 States, single Parliament

SUGGESTED ECONOMIC SUMMIT: Sen Sani advocates 6 States, single Parliament

BY Godwin Ekosin

In the face of blinking economy confronting the nation Nigeria, Senator representing Kaduna Central, Shehu Sani, has suggested that the country maintain only six states and one parliament in order to curb unnecessary expenditures.

The Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign and Domestic Debts, was of the view that the situation where states governors will be running to federal government cap-in-hand before they could pay their workers’ salary, calls for urgent serious attention and consideration.

Sen Sani, who is also the Vice Chairman, Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs, who made the suggestions on Friday in a statement he personally signed and make available to GOBROADSHEET on Friday, added that having lower and upper chamber parliament, was just a mare duplication of legislature work.

The Activist turned politician also advised the incumbent government against using the proposed Nigerian economic conference as a talk shop for praise singing, partisan sloganeering, ideological stereotyping, platform for finding scapegoats or dedicated pad for missile launching.

He stressed further that the conference must strive to practically address and proffer pragmatic solutions to rescuing Nigeria from its prevalent status of economic paralysis, adding that the proposed Economic conference must be result oriented aimed at setting a road map for nation’s economic revival, growth, diversification and prosperity.

According to him, “the conference can only make a difference if it can fundamentally lead to the economic restructuring of Nigeria and end the existing “Federal allocation federalism.”

“We should abolish the 36 states structure and come out with 6 sates in line with the Geopolitical zones with Abuja remaining the capital.

“We should abolish the bicameral National Assembly with its economic burden and duplication and multiplicity of responsibilities. Nigeria need and can only afford one Parliament .We must make the necessary constitutional amendments which will reduce the number of ministers and ministries.

“We cannot continue to run a country on states running to Abuja cap in hand just to be able to pay wages of their civil servants, he emphasised proposed economic summit must advanced from the platitude of anti corruption crusade to setting a workable agenda for the Government,the private sector and the masses of Nigerians towards economic prosperity,emancipation and social justice.The conference must not aimed at producing volumes of books of proceedings which will eventually be kept to dust,but must produce simple documents which will lead to our economic resurgence and rebirth.”

“The proposed economic conference must proffer solution that will address class iniquity,social exclusion and systemic plunder of the Nigerian state by foreign multinational interest in league with their Nigerian collaborators known in business parlance as partners.

“The proposed economic conference must proffer solution on how to rescue the Agric sector from perennial neglect,bureaucratic bottlenecks and pervasive corruption:We must seek to advance solid mineral exploration and upgrade public education to the same standard with private education.We must take useful lessons from emerging economies in Asia and Latin America.The conference must trigger an “Export Nigeria Revolution” to address our foreign exchange and foreign reserve challenges.

“It’s also impossible to implement any serious economic reforms without making fundamental political restructuring of the federation.Our economy was to a larger extent stagnated and crushed under the weight of unjustifiable and unreasonable political burden and liabilities.

“We have lived through decades of self denial and self deception. We destroyed our economy after decades of politics of patronage and cronyism. Governments in the past were simply political institutions structured for self service and dispensing favors to members of our ethnic,religious class affiliations .

“Our political leaders exploited the default in our political order and the availability and accessibility of public funds and plundered the state treasury for themselves and their family members.

“The proposed economic conference must seek to free our economy from the pressure and weight of our economic burdens.

“We must, as a nation, and as a people, accept the fact that President Buhari must succeed in restoring Nigeria back on track or else the nation will be heading to a revolution.”

Posted from GoBroadsheet