Nigeria has no need for health minister and minister of agriculture - Atiku

Nigeria has no need for health minister and minister of agriculture - Atiku

- Former vice president of Nigeria, Abubaka Atiku has advised Nigeria to return to true federalism

- Atiku said the current Nigerian structure makes the country economically indolent and doesn’t serve the citizens well

Former Nigeria vice president, Abubakar Atiku, has advised Nigeria to go back to true federalism to save the country's governance structure from failing.

Atiku who made this statement at the Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun state, said in a true federal system, the federal government would have little or no need for some ministers as their issues would be handled by the federating units, Premium Times reports.

Atiku calls for Nigeria to be restructured

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Atiku said: “We have a government that gives power to the central government and leaves the federating units with nothing.

“The current structure can be called unitary federalism.

The politician, who is rumoured to be interested in the 2019 presidential race, said the current Nigerian structure makes the country economically indolent and doesn’t serve the citizens well.

“The restructuring of our federalism is not really a threat on our unity.

“The federal government has no point having a ministry of agriculture and health; they ought to only have units that will monitor the ministries. But instead they go on to appoint ministers.”

“What is the federal government’s business with having a health minister and minister of agriculture?"

“Why do we have federal roads all over the country that don’t get maintained? Why do we have federal hospitals and schools all over the country that are no better than their state counterparts?

“We even have more clamour for the federal takeover of existing state institutions. That is not how to run a federation; rather, we are centralising more and making a mockery of federalism. This is a parody of federalism and we must get away from it.”

Abubakar also accused his former boss, ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo of not heeding to one of his advice on power projects.

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“I once advised the president not to invest in independent power projects but focus on captive power projects, but I was not listened to; the world is shifting from oil to other sectors and we are not doing that in Nigeria."

Former vice president, Atiku Abubakar , Imo state Governor Rochas Okorocha and APC National Chairman, John Oyegun today were among top dignitaries who were in Makurdi to grace the coronation of Prof James Ayatse as the 5th paramount ruler of the Tiv Nation.