NO POOR STATES IN NIGERIA, ONLY POOR LEADERS - ADEGBULU

No Poor States In Nigeria, Only Poor Leaders – Adegbulu

An Associate Professor at the Redeemer’s University, Dr Femi Adegbulu on Saturday debunked the assertion that there are poor States in the federation, noting that there was only a prevalence of poor leaders and ideas.

Adegbulu who appeared as a guest on Channels Television’s Saturday breakfast programme, Sunrise, commented on the debate over Nigeria’s resource control, at the National Conference.

According to him, no State in the nation was poor because each State reportedly had resources that can be developed for sustenance. He maintained that the problem of most States was poor leadership and “poverty of ideas” which led them to abandon what they have for oil.

He argued that the government would buckle up if nations of the world reject Nigeria’s oil or the oil should dry up.

“When oil gets dried, it is then all the regions will now come together and face what they have abandoned all this while,” he said, arguing that many of the States are considered poor because they are not tapping anything that nature has bequeathed to them.

He noted that the Constitution does not encourage the States.

Social Commentator, Bala Zaka, who was also a guest argued that Nigerians are only united geographically and are not so in all other ramifications.

He complained about the composition of the National Conference, noting that President Goodluck Jonathan must have been in school, during the reign of most delegates.

According to him, “what the conduct of the delegates has demonstrated is that Nigerians are only united geographically and are disunited in all other ramifications”.

On the issues of resource control being debated at the Conference, Zaka advocated that the economic life of each State should be examined and if there is a need, come up with suggestions and see if you can collapse some States, merge some States.

He argued that the creation of more States would only lead to political balancing but “what we need is economic balancing; Adding more to the aggregate economy. So the issue of resource control has practically shown that Nigeria is only united geographically”.

On his part, immediate Past President of NBA, Ikeja Branch, Onyekachi Ubani, berated the self centred attitude of leaders and citizens, which was tearing the nation apart. He noted that the National Conference should have provided a platform for Nigerians to discuss their unity, so that they can agree to chase a singular ideal.

He noted that the assumption that all stakeholders want to be together is wrong.

Adegbulu further argued that the nation’s leaders were not patriotic and that if the National Conference did

not come forth with “true federalism”, the whole exercise would have been a waste.