Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Kano State Governor, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has described the clamour for true federalism by some groups in the country as a plot against the North.
The governor said this, yesterday, when he received a progress report of the Kano State Committee on True Federalism, at the Government House, yesterday.
The panel was inaugurated last year.
The committee, led by a former secretary to the state government, Alhaji Sule Hamma, had Alhaji Tanko Yakasai , Dr Junaid Mohammed, Alhaji Bashiru Tofa, Alhaji Musa Gwadabe and Hajia Aisha Ismail alongside several personalities, as members.
Ganduje reiterated that the clamour for true federalism was inspired by the efforts of its promoters to present a narrative that the northern part of the country was at an advantage, at the expense of the South, in the scheme of things in Nigeria.
He recalled that initially, the North had tried to shy away from the debate, but said that they later braced up to the debate.
Ganduje acknowledged that apart from the inauguration of the committee at the state level, other bodies at the regional level, such as the Northern Governors Forum, had set up similar committees to come up with their positions.
He welcomed the call for a debate and said in a democracy, debate for better society is not something to scare people but concurred that some aspects of governance in Nigeria needed review.
“The military itself had some features of the unitary system so the child that came out of the military had some features of the unitary system of government.
“That was why the Federal Government became so bogus, became so strong in terms of responsibilities and the revenue of the country,” he stated and added that he was in support of the fact that the federal government should drop some responsibilities for states.
The governor appreciated the committee for stepping outside its brief to deliberating on other aspects of good governance in the state and that his administration is committed to making every member of Kano’s population an asset, rather than a liability so that “what China is to the world, Kano should be to Nigeria.”