Olisa Agbakoba says overcentralization forces states to rely on printed banknotes, urging devolution of power from Abuja.
Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and former Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) President, Olisa Agbakoba, has said that most states depend on printed money from the Federal Government to pay civil servants because of the excessive concentration of power at the centre.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Agbakoba described Nigeria’s federal system as overly centralized and called for urgent devolution of power. “The thesis behind my policy document is ‘Let’s fix the constitution’ and we can only fix the constitution by looking at the nature of our federalism,” he said.
“It’s too strong, Abuja is the competition. Everyone wants to be in Abuja because all the power is in Abuja… Other states are bankrupt. They depend on printed money from the Central Bank to pay their civil servants,” he added.
Agbakoba urged President Bola Tinubu to initiate the process of creating a new constitution that reflects true federalism and promotes development.