By Lucy Adautin
Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), has put forward the idea of renaming Nigeria to “The United States of Nigeria.”
This proposal was conveyed in a statement released by his Special Adviser on Industrialization, Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, on Saturday.
Adesina, the recipient of the 2024 Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership, presented his proposal during his speech titled “Making a New Nigeria: Welfarist Policies and People-Centered Development.”
He emphasized that renaming the country to the “United States of Nigeria” would shift the dynamic between the states and Abuja, positioning the states as central entities with Abuja as their ally rather than their superior.
He said: “We must be audacious! Instead of the Federal Government of Nigeria, we could think of the United States of Nigeria. The old would give way to the new.
“We would change the relational mindset between the states and Abuja: the fulcrum would be the states, while the centre would support them, not lord over them.
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“With good governance, better accountability systems, and zero tolerance for corruption, more economically stronger constituent states would emerge! We would unleash massive wealth across the states. A New Nigeria would arise! To do so, we will need all of us, not some of us.
“From our forgotten rural villages to our boisterous and dynamic urban areas. From the sparks of desire in the eyes of our children to the lingering hope in the hearts of our youths.
“From the yearnings of our women and mothers and our men and fathers for a better tomorrow, and the desires of the old that our end would be better than our past. From the hardworking street vendors and small businesses to the largest business conglomerates, we must create a movement of hope.”
He added: “Tbe achievement of economically viable entities and the viability of the national entity requires constitutional changes to devolve more economic and fiscal powers to the states or regions. The stronger the states or regions, the stronger the federated units.”
