Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Saturday faulted President Muhammadu Buhari’s development strategies.
He said the strategies produced 13 million out-of-school children, millions of unemployed or under-employed youths, and a level of insecurity that threatens to splinter the country into tiny bits controlled by armed warlords.
The former Vice President spoke on “Diversity, Education and Autonomy” while delivering the convocation lecture of Achievers University, Owo, in Ondo State.
Atiku, who reiterated his call for autonomy of the constituent parts, said the country needs to tailor its development policies and practices to its diversity.
According to him, the excessive centralisation of power and concentration of resources in the Federal Government has not served Nigerians well.
Rather, he said it has encouraged a domineering, all-knowing centre that stretches itself into every aspect of life with little positive results.
He added that there has been excessive corruption, mediocrity, generations of citizens who hope to become rich without work, emasculation of state and local initiatives, and a lack of creative and healthy competition among states as they all look towards Abuja for monthly handouts.
“We must reverse the concentration of power and resources at the centre.
“And we must make serious and conscious efforts to identify the potentials and strengths of each state and section of this country and work to maximise their contribution to the development of our country as it is supposed to develop itself.
“That is how you allow greater autonomy while pulling together. Greater autonomy for states will allow ideas to germinate from anywhere and blossom.
“Reduction of federal powers and responsibilities and greater autonomy for states would, for instance, allow a state with very low demand for university spots to decide whether its priority is another federal university or investment in primary and secondary teacher education to ensure that its young population has basic education, preparatory for possible university or vocational education in the future.”
