Osinbajo: Am Opposed to ‎Restructuring Nigeria Along Ethnic Identities

•  Supports state police, fiscal federalism, ‘more resources for states’

Tobi Soniyi in Abuja

The Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, has said that he supported the idea of re-engineering Nigeria.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr Laolu Akande, the vice president said he believed in fiscal federalism and for states to have more resources.

However, the vice president ‎said he was opposed to restructuring Nigeria along ethnic identities.

“Dividing Nigeria, going back to regions and all of those kinds of things, I do not believe that at all. I don’t think that we need to go back to regions,” he added.

‎He said he supported the idea of states having their own police.

Osinbajo also said that Value Added Tax should be left for states.

He said:‎ “VAT for example: we believe VAT must be a state matter, sales tax ought to be a state matter. I strongly believe in that and we’ve always fought for those issues.

“State police. I strongly believe that we must have state police.

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“So, if there are people who believe that we must structure ourselves again along ethnic lines I don’t accept that that is the right way to go.

‎”But as a general position, Nigeria always needs to be re-engineered, we have to keep restructuring, re-engineering.

“For example look at (some of the current) questions today, around whether or not a state should have rule over its resources. That is a major point.

“Of course, states ought to have a good measure of control over their resources but we must have to agree how do you then ensure that the federal government itself functions. Do you need a federal government or do you not need a federal government?”

Osinbajo also spoke on power sharing. He asked ‎”What do you mean by power sharing, you must be specific. Is it the rotation of the presidency?

“As far as I am concerned whatever the political arrangement the political party makes, wherever they want the presidency to go should be left entirely with the political parties and should be a political arrangement.

“But I don’t believe that we should go and write it in our constitution that there must be… that the presidency must go from zone to zone. I dont think that should be a constitutional issue. I think we should leave that to the parties themselves.

Further details later