Restructuring: Idea Of Resource Control Extremist – Jega

Kenneth Afor

Professor Attahiru Jega, a former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has described the idea of every region or states controlling all its resources in Nigeria’s current federal system in the name of restructuring as “extremist”.

Speaking in an interview, Jega said the notion of states controlling their resources was not what was obtainable in the 1960 and 1963 constitutions, adding that any suggestion to go back to those constitutions is unrealistic.

“You know the notion of resource control really is something that connotes something different from the traditional and good practice notion sharing on the basis of equity, justice and equality of opportunities,” Jega said on Arise News TV recently.

“This extremist notion of every state in the federation or every region to control all its resources was not what happened in the 1960 to 1963 constitutions. But there were opportunities for the regions to have substantial resources from the revenues that they generate from within their own territories which enabled them to be able to chat a cause of development for those who resides in the region.”

While commenting on the framework of the 1960 and 1963 constitutions, Jega stated that there are lessons to be learnt, which can be adopted to effectively manage the country’s resources.

“The key lesson is that we ensure equity, we have to strive to ensure unity in diversity.

“Sub-national governments need to have relative autonomy in the way in which they generate their resources and obviously, there are lessons to learn in the way resources are generated and are shared in the first republic and these lessons need to be factored into how we move forward in improving our federal system,” he added.

The former INEC noted that it will be better for all Nigerians, particularly advocates of restructuring, to put aside every regional and religious sentiment while deliberating on the resource control issue in order to find a lasting solution in harnessing the country’s largely untapped wealth.

“It is very important that we recognise this and that is as we try to improve our federal arrangement and manage our diversity better it is important we put aside brinkmanship and pandering to ethno-regional and religious sentiments.

“These are practical matters that can be addressed practically and scientifically in terms of how we can ensure equity in the distribution of resources in our federal arrangement,” he said.