The President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, has proposed a change of the name of Nigeria to “The United States of Nigeria.”
Adesina made the suggestion during a lecture titled “Making a New Nigeria: Welfarist Policies and People-Centred Development”, according to a statement his spokesman Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka sent to PUNCH on Saturday.
The ‘United States of Nigeria’ would change the relational mindset between the states and Abuja, according to Adesina
“We must be audacious! Instead of the Federal Government of Nigeria, we could think of the United States of Nigeria. The old would give way to the new,” Adesina said
“We would change the relational mindset between the states and Abuja: the fulcrum would be the states, while the centre would support them, not lord over them.”
This restructuring, according to Adesina, is not just about political reform, but about economic empowerment.
“With good governance, better accountability systems, and zero tolerance for corruption, more economically stronger constituent states would emerge! We would unleash massive wealth across the states. A New Nigeria would arise! To do so, we will need all of us, not some of us,” he added.
Adesina also lamented the current situation, stating that despite “Nigerians pay one of the highest implicit tax rates in the world” it shoulder a heavy burden.
“If people pay taxes, governments must deliver services to citizens and be held accountable for their ability to do so or not. Governments should not transfer their responsibility to citizens. When governments or institutions fail to provide basic services, the people bear the burden of a heavy implicit tax,” Adesina said.
