Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano
Kano State Governor, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, yesterday reiterated the need for devolution of powers from the centre to various states and local governments in order to achieve good governance.
Ganduje stated this in the state Government House while receiving the Kano 30-member Committee on True Federalism set up by the state government to project the views of the state in the on-going debate for true federalism and restructuring.
“So we found it imperative to bring this issue so that it can be debated at national and regional level, and I am aware that the Northern Governors’ Forum constituted a similar committee which has been working. We also have a similar committee at the party level. And now in our own case, we have it at the state level.
“However, in democracy, it is a very important issue. It should not be an issue that somebody will be annoyed with, it is an issue that we should welcome because democracy is dynamic,†he said.
According to him, “Along the way, we will see how we can refine the system. There is no doubt that the federal government, being an offshoot of the military, was brought by the military even though civilians were there, but it was off course, under the guise of the federal government which by then, was a military government.
“So, you can see that from time to time, we need to make adjustment in our constitution. There is no doubt that the federal government has the element of unitary system, because the military itself was a unitary system so the child that came from the military must also have some features of unitary system.
“That was why the federal government became so bogus, and became so strong in terms of responsibilities and in terms of revenue of the country itself-so that this in itself needs to be revisited. There is need to review the constitution for devolution of powers from the federal to state government and from state to the local governments.â€
Briefing the governor on the workings of the committee, its Chairman, Dr. Sule Yahaya Hamma, said the committee which has met 24 times since its inauguration in November 2017, has held meetings with the Emir of Kano, traditional rulers, religious leaders, Islamic scholars, market women, student’s unions, civil society organisations and other relevant agencies whose contributions formed part of the recommendations of the committee.
