Professor Attahiru Jega, the former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has warned of the possible administrative and economic difficulties associated with plans to establish 31 additional states in Nigeria.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
In an interview with Arise TV, Attahiru Jega argued against further subdivision of Nigeria’s federal structure. “We seem to already have too many states, and if we continue on the direction of every request that comes, then you create a state,” he stated. “We are moving in the direction of what we call the atomization of the Nigerian Federation.”
He expressed concern about the trend toward fragmentation: “Somebody used to speak about certain parts of Nigeria as atomistic societies, and atomistic societies means there are so many small groupings that really do not work together and cannot ensure efficiency in the delivery of goods and services.”
The former INEC chairman highlighted the economic viability concerns of existing states. “As it has been mentioned, some of the states look like they are very unviable on their own, totally dependent on revenues from the center,” he noted. “And the more you split them, the more unviable they become from revenue generation.”
Instead of creating new states, Professor Jega advocated for a redistribution of power and resources within the current federal system. He emphasized the need to decrease the federal government’s control over resource allocation to states, suggesting this as a more effective approach to addressing regional development concerns.CONTINUE FULL READING>>>>>
