A former Minister of Science and Technology, Major General Sam Momah (retd) has said that an urgent restructuring of Nigeria away from oil dependence towards technology is the only option for development.
Momah, who was a minister during the Ibrahim Babangida administration, spoke at his 12th book launch in Abuja on Wednesday which coincided with his 77th birthday.
The book is titled “Why We Must Restructure Nigeria Now.”
“Restructuring is the very heart of the Nigerian problem and until we do it, we will continue to struggle in our quest for growth and development.
“I believe restructuring will solve most of our problems. But by restructuring, we do not mean resource control but an opportunity to realise our potentials.
“It is an opportunity to have a new constitution because we have not really had a people’s constitution,” he said.
“Restructuring is the deliberate and systematic replacement of Nigeria’s dependence on oil with a technologically diversified economy,” he said.
Momah, who was also Commandant, National War College blamed governors more for Nigeria’s underdevelopment than the President since “they have the land, manpower and the capital (security vote) to turn around the Nigerian economy from penury to prosperity by making agriculture cum manufacturing the cornerstone of their administration.”
He also advocated the implementation of the 2014 confab report to save the cost of running the government.
“To save cost, the existing 36 states will become provinces without legislative and judicial arms.
“If the new 18 states recommended by 2014 national conference are accepted, they too will be provinces and a total of 54 provinces should be formed. The six geo-political zones will offer the best economic benefits if operated as the six federating states.”
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