Intellectual Fraud: Part One
Fashola Advocates True Federalism For Nigeria at John Hopkins University, Mary Land, USA. Tuesday, April 30, 2013 PM News.
Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN), at the weekend in the United States of America advocated a truer federal system of government for Nigeria saying it would free the potentials of the federating states and local governments to utilize the diverse capacities inherent in their domains for economic prosperity.
Governor Fashola, who spoke to an audience comprising faculty members, students, and academics at the School of Advanced International Studies, John Hopkins University, Washington said though the realization of such federalism, on its own, may not necessarily catapult the nation to all-time economic prosperity, without it emancipation from poverty and want would be hard to attain.
Speaking on the topic, “Liberating and Coordinating Diversity”, Governor Fashola said as a result of the current lopsided federal system of government in the country which has concentrated all powers in the Centre, the federating states and local governments are unable to fully utilize the potentials inherent in them for development.
The Governor, who gave examples of the lopsided federal arrangement in the country including control of all economic resources by the Centre, declared, “The 36 state governors are demanding a truer federal system in terms of fiscal and political federalism. I associate myself with this demand in its entirety”.
“The realization of these demands on their own may not necessarily leapfrog us into El Dorado, but without them the journey will be tortuous. If they materialize, they liberate the possibilities that lie inherent in the diverse capacities that the Nigerian states and local governments are blessed with”, Governor Fashola said adding, “In that event, the Federal Government will not be without authority or responsibility but, in my view, it will be better able to co-ordinate the diversities for mutual prosperity”.
Describing the period before the Military interregnum in the country as the nation’s Golden Age, Governor Fashola said although the post-colonial era when Nigeria practiced Parliamentary Democracy with three semi-autonomous regions was not without its problems, the economy was stable as each region kept the bulk of its resources and contributed to the central government to enable it to carry out its national responsibilities.
“The system was not without its problems. But we had stable electricity. We had more food – enough to eat and enough to export. Illiteracy levels were higher but there was evidence to show that it was being addressed. Our universities had more learning in them and acquired a respectable reputation”, the Governor said.
According to the Governor, things began to fall apart for the country when the Military intervened in governance. “We quickly began to lose our lustre. The military came in and unified the regions and things have never been quite the same since”.
“Although we have a “Federal Government” the constitution was written by the Military. So we have state courts where judges are picked by the Federal Government. We have state legislators but no state police to enforce the laws they make. There are no state prisons so we rely on Federal officers to police our states and keep convicted persons away from law abiding citizens. We have Federal Traffic Safety Officers to issue Driver’s Licenses to drivers in the state and also seek to regulate municipal traffic inside the states”, the Governor explained.
He further explained that many states cannot control their sources of finance such as local taxes on consumption, lotteries and hotels, the equivalents of city and state taxes for drinks in a state like New York in the United States , adding, “The Federal Government holds on to these at worst; or encroaches upon them at the best”.
Governor Fashola said the Federal Government, in order to maintain its financial hold on the federating states, keeps 52 percent of the nation’s resources leaving the 36 federating states with 26 percent while 774 local governments share only 20 percent of the resource among them monthly.
“The debate, therefore, is not only about the cost of such a large government but also about its effectiveness. The Primary Health Care Centres, where newborn babies get vaccinated and immunized against disease, are not in the capital but within the 774 (plus 37) local governments. The primary schools, which are the foundations of early learning, are also in these local governments. (In Lagos there are 1,001 of such primary schools)”, the Governor said.
He wondered how the money held in large supply at the Centre could reach the grassroots for the purchase of vaccines in time and in good quantity for the immunization of the children before they die and how quickly and efficiently the primary schools can be funded from the Centre before the children get tired of waiting, drop out and become child labourers.
On the effect of a “behemoth Federal Government” on the transport system especially in Lagos, Governor Fashola declared, “In Lagos the Local Governments have 6,415 roads, the state government has 3,028 and the Federal Government has only 117.Yet the Local Governments have only their share of 20.2% (shared with 717 others) and the states have only their share of 26% (shared with 35 other states) of national revenues to fix these roads”.
Noting that even with the least number of roads to manage, the Federal Government keeps the lion’s share of the Federal resources, Governor Fashola again wondered how efficiently the Nigerian Governmental system could provide “roads that are so critical to prosperity for her people”.
“These are the structural challenges of Government that we must overcome. They sum up the demand for a truer federal union that is being demanded by the 36 state governors in terms of fiscal and political federalism”, the Governor said.
Governor Fashola expressed joy that Lagos State has been able to liberate itself from the problems associated with the nation’s lopsided federal system as aforementioned especially the dependence on monthly Federal Allocations saying this has been achieved largely through effective tax reforms which have resulted in more taxpayers in the State.
Fashola on True Federalism and Restructuring in 2019.
Intellectual Fraud: Part Two
Restructuring: Fashola fears `Brexit experience’ for Nigeria!
Speaking on “Restructuring: Lessons from Brexit,” Fashola gave a detailed history of the evolution of the United Kingdom, which he said, was similar to Nigeria’s 1914 amalgamation that merged the Northern and Southern Protectorates. He explained that the insatiable quest for a better life was the root of the clamour for restructuring in Nigeria, noting that measures to create new identities had compounded problems throughout human history. The senior lawyer warned proponents of restructuring in Nigeria to make their definitions clear and to also educate youths on the implications of their choices to avoid retrogression in Nigeria. Fashola noted that there had been confusion in the restructuring agitation with people clamouring variously for confederation, secession, constitutional amendment and state police, among others, adding that restructuring in whatever guise must be made clear to youths. “Let us decompose that word and let everybody be specific. There is so much confusion. Don’t hide restructuring under one word. Bring it out, so that we know what to choose."
My Comment.
Today, President Buhari of the same party (APC) with Fashola is in power. And miraculously, Fashola has forgotten the meaning and essence of the demands for True Federalism and Restructuring. It is now about an "insatiable quest for a better life" and how "measures to create new identities had compounded problems through human history." And "there is so much confusion." So, "let us decompose that word [Restructuring] and let everybody be specific."
Decomposing that word was exactly what Mr. Fashola did at John Hopkins University in the US in 2013. In his own words, "The 36 state governors are demanding a truer federal system in terms of fiscal and political federalism. I associate myself with this demand in its entirety.” “The realization of these demands on their own may not necessarily leapfrog us into El Dorado, but without them, the journey will be tortuous. If they materialize, they liberate the possibilities that lie inherent in the diverse capacities that the Nigerian states and local governments are blessed with”. That was Mr. Babatunde Fashola (SAN) in 2013. What a difference a Federal Ministerial post makes!
And that's the way it is in Nigerian leadership. The principled ones are long gone. His present convoluted views on True Federalism and Restructuring is consistent with the language of doubt raised by Northern Elders on the same subject in December 2017 - they don't understand what Restructuring connotes.
One would have thought that a Lawyer, a Senior Advocate, a Commissioner for eight years, a Governor for eight years, and now a Federal Minister for five years has garnered more riches to remain truthful to his conscience. No, he has his mind fixated on 2023 already and he doesn't want to say anything on the record that would adversely impact his standing with the caliphate. Moronic. Even the caliphate wants to change from the old to the new.
Minister Babatunde Fashola, this is a fraud you are perpetuating on fellow Nigerian intelligentsia. I praised you glowingly in 2013 on my Blog after your 2013 speech at John Hopkins University in the US, espousing the wisdom of True Federalism and Decentralization of Power at Abuja. Today, you are having some problems with the terms, Restructuring, and Decentralization of Power. You are the ignorant one right now on the issue, not the Nigerian youths. Peace.
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