Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed as unnecessary the call for true federalism and devolution of power.
To him, there is nothing like true federalism because the governors already have the powers.
The former president who has been travelling to promote his new book, Making Africa Work, told his interviewers: โI donโt believe in true federalism. What is true federalism?โ
On the governors and the call for devolution of power, he said: โWhy are they not accountable? What powers do they not have?
โThey have power. In fact, state governors are more powerful than the president. Thatโs the truth. If anybody tells you they want devolution or true federalism, he doesnโt know what he is talking about.โ
A broad range of current and former lawmakers, civil society groups and millions of Nigerians would beg to differ. So too would the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which Obasanjo backed in 2015, at least in its manifesto, which pledged to โamend our constitution with a view to devolving powersโ.
But Obasanjo said: โThe fact (that) anybody talks about it doesnโt mean itโs right.โ
Obasanjoโs new book describes itself as โa guide to improving Africaโs capacity for economic growth and job creationโ. Co-written with Greg Mills, Jeffrey Herbst and Dickie Davis, it provides a detailed overview of various political and economic challenges facing the continent. It warns of a growing youth bulge, and provides dozens of recommendations on how to encourage the private sector, diversify the economy and deliver forward-thinking leadership.
On the Buhari administration, Obasanjo said: โBuhari has made some announcements. He has tried to keep on going in the area of agribusiness, but not enough.โ โIt is not yet enough to prepare the ground for uninhibited growth of the economy, which we needโ.
โIs Buhari doing enough about it?โ he asks at one point of youth unemployment. โI donโt believe he is. Can he do enough about it? Of course he can.โ
Obasanjoโs vague and uncommitted answers contrast with the book he just co-wrote, which packs a handful of statistics into virtually every paragraph and offers dozens of recommendations. But the former president does eventually hone in on one specific: Nigeriaโs frustrated young people.
The median age of Nigeriaโs population is under 18, and the youth demographic continues to swell. There arenโt enough jobs for them, and if Obasanjo were back in office, his priority would be education. โYouth empowerment, skill acquisition and youth employment โ education must be able to do that,โ he insists. โIf you do that, the ticking bomb of possible youth explosion out of restiveness and anger will subside.โ
Obasanjo attributed young peopleโs frustration to many of Nigeriaโs problems today, including the ongoing agitation in the Southeast.
The former president maintained that secession is not the solution.
โAll youth in Nigeria have legitimate reasons to feel frustrated and angry,โ Obasanjo added.
