Atiku decries excessive power centralisation

Former Vice President of Nigeria, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has identified excessive centralisation of power and concentration of resources in the Federal Government as affecting the development and growth of the country, saying Nigeria needs to change direction.

Abubakar who stated this while delivering the convocation lecture of the Achievers University, Owo in Ondo State, titled “Diversity, Education and Autonomy” said that current development strategies in the country were wrong.

The former Vice President who called for a change of direction said the current development strategies has produced over 13 million out-of-school children, millions of unemployed or under-employed youth and a level of insecurity that threatens to splinter the country into tiny bits controlled by armed warlords.

He maintained that excessive centralization of power and concentration of resources in the federal government only encouraged a domineering all-knowing federal government that stretches itself into every aspect of the citizenry lives with little positive results to show.

Atiku who reiterated his call for the autonomy of the constituent parts said the country needs to tailor its development policies and practices to acknowledge its diversity and benefit from it.

He said “The excessive centralization of power and concentration of resources in the federal government have not served us well. Instead, they have encouraged a domineering all-knowing federal government that stretches itself into every aspect of our lives with few positive results to show.

“Rather we have had excessive corruption, mediocrity, generations of citizens who hope to become rich without work, emasculation of state and local initiatives and a lack of creative and healthy competition among states as they all look towards Abuja for handouts every month.

“The development strategies that have produced 13 million out-of-school children, millions of unemployed or under-employed youth, including those with university degrees, and a level of insecurity that threatens to splinter the country into tiny bits controlled by armed warlords are clearly the wrong ones.  We must change direction.”

He, however, called for the reversal of the over-concentration of power and resources at the centre, saying “We must reverse the concentration of power and resources at the centre.

“We must make serious and conscious efforts to identify the potentials and strengths of each state and section of this country and work to maximize its contribution to the development of our country as it is supported to develop itself.

“That is how you allow greater autonomy while pulling together. Greater autonomy for states will allow ideas to germinate from anywhere and blossom.

“Reduction of federal powers and responsibilities and greater autonomy for states would, for instance, allow a state with very low demand for university spots to decide whether its priority is another federal university or investments in primary, secondary teacher education to ensure that its young population has basic education, preparatory for possible university or vocational education in the future.”

Atiku however, advocated for severe punishment for parents who refuse to send their children to have ‘free primary and secondary education, while insisting that basic education must be free and made compulsory.

According to him, parents should be forced to send their children to school just as they are forced to vaccinate their children against infectious diseases, noting that out-of-school children would not have been over 13 million if parents are given priority to the education of their wards.

He said “The more educated you are the more control you tend to have over your life; the more freedom you have to choose what you want to become or what you want to do, where you want to live and with whom you want to associate.

“Put simply, the more educated you are, the more freedom you tend to have. Therefore, the educated person is a more autonomous person. So, in a way, you can say that education is freedom.

“Education is autonomy. Autonomy is critical for the individual or group to reach their full potentials.  If a person or a group is held down by others, they cannot achieve their full potentials.  When you are free you are more adventurous; when you are autonomous you are more creative.  When you are freer you take more decisions based on what you desire.

“As it is with the individual so it is with nations.  Education is a social good.  Countries that value education and make the necessary investments in it also tend to have more control over their affairs.

“The nations that treat education and innovation more seriously and invest massively in them are also the leading nations of the world. And in the 21st-century education and innovation are key to national prosperity.

“There is more, Educating girls and women is even more impactful.  Research spanning over three decades shows that for a society to make progress it is even more important to educate women and girls because of the positive impact it has on the development of children and their health and those of the family.”

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