Dev commissions, regional ministries antithetical to devolution, says Adamolekun
Implementation of programmes, schemes and projects contained in the North East Stabilisation and Development Master Plan (NESDMP) could cost the government about N128,862,400,000,000 based on the present economic situation and exchange rate.
A professor of Public Administration and former employee of the United Nations and World Bank, Oladipo Adamolekun, frowned on the establishment of development commissions and the federal ministry of regional development, emphasising that they were antithetical to devolution. He also described the continued delay of the devolution in Nigeria as dangerous.
The NESDMP, as captured in the North East Development Commission (NEDC) Act 2017, was initially pegged at N31.05 trillion ($80 billion) as at June 2022 to implement 529 schemes, projects and programmes for 10 years.
Speaking yesterday in Abuja during an interactive session between NEDC and the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Regional Development (MRD), the Managing Director of NEDC, Mohammed Alkali, revealed that the interventionist agency was reviewing the plan to align with present realities.
Alkali stated: “We are looking at about N32 trillion, because that time the exchange rate was not up to N500, but today I am sure that if we translate $80 billion to naira, the figure could be highly mind-blowing.”
Disclosing that the President approved deployment of E-mobility in the North East, the MD added that the agency got approval to begin the process after a series of presentations at their last council meeting, adding that the President also directed the NEDC to look at key bridges in the region that require immediate attention.
On his part, the Minister of Regional Development, Abubakar Momoh, explained that the ministry was not getting the desired attention in terms of funding because the authorities assume that the commissions under it had been catered for.He advised the leadership of the NEDC to look into areas of investment to enable it to stabilise the region,
ACCORDING to the professor, during the media presentation of his book, ‘Reflections on Governance and Development in Nigeria’, in Akure, Ondo State, a devolved federation is a necessity, not a choice.
He said: “Without question, and consciously or unconsciously, the promoters and supporters of these institutions are entrenching overcentralisation and delaying devolution. I would confidently assert that delaying devolution in Nigeria is dangerous.
“It’s a matter of analysing the realities of this country and comparing them with international experiences. There is no other way to achieve peace and rapid socio-economic development than devolving power to sub-national governments. Now, some people want to keep the 36, maybe, but I advocated six.”
Meanwhile, discussants at the event maintained that devolution was not about weakening Nigeria but making governance more responsive and efficient. They stressed that a restructured federation, where states have greater autonomy, could unlock Nigeria’s development potential and reduce tensions, adding that the political will to implement these reforms remains the biggest challenge.
