I had the privilege of chairing the APC Committee on True Federalism which submitted its report back in January 2018.
This committee of distinguished Nigerians was set up as part of our party’s attempt to put forward a position on federalism, an issue that has been intensely debated in recent decades.
For the sake of our country and its people, we need to put as much passion into effecting what has been agreed, even as we further debate that which is awaiting consensus or resolution.
We are in our 25th year of democratic governance, long enough for a panoply of deliberate actions to be taken to undo the distortions injected into our federalism by decades of military rule. Propelled by ideology or driven by pragmatic desire for a working and dynamic country, many Nigerians see the merit in devolving powers and responsibility to the subnational level.
It is seen as key to further unleashing the productive impulse, spurring creativity, rewarding the competitive instinct, and promoting better governance across the states.
Devolution of powers will also free the Federal Government of some burdens and enable it to concentrate better on discharging its most consequential responsibilities in national defence and security, monetary and fiscal policy and foreign relations.
Some positive steps towards restoring and practicing federal ethos have recently been taken.
The constitutional amendments passed by the 9th National Assembly in January 2023 included significant adjustments to the exclusive list, shifting some important responsibilities like electricity, railways and prisons to the concurrent list.
This empowers state governments to regulate the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity, intra-state rail networks and establish correctional facilities. Happily, President Muhammadu Buhari assented to some of the constitutional reform bills enacted by the 9th Assembly.
This step towards decentralisation has been reinforced by President Bola Tinubu who swiftly signed the Electricity Act 2023 that bestows on state governments powers to regulate electricity markets within their boundaries.
Some state governments have moved with admirable speed to actualise their newfound regulatory powers in the electricity supply industry.
In compliance with the law, the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission has also commendably ceded regulatory powers to such state governments. Given the well-known challenges in the electricity sector, there is much hope that the involvement of subnational actors and the private sector will help mobilise more resources to help address gaps in the sector.
Efforts by the state governments to participate in the sector may also help to further build professional, technical and regulatory capacity across the states, to the benefit of all.
There is also renewed interest in decentralising the internal security structure, particularly policing. The weaknesses and inadequacy of a centralised police structure in a federation are painfully obvious.
Government efforts to secure our people, their property, livelihoods and communities would be enhanced by introducing additional law enforcement footprint at the state, local government and community levels. Such subnational policing structures should be empowered with the necessary resources in personnel, training, equipment and technology to deter and prevent crime, protect citizens, businesses, and property, and to arrest and prosecute criminals.
I hope that the conversations going on now would produce concrete measures in this regard, with strong nationwide regulation to address the concerns of those fearful of abuse or politicisation of policing powers by State Governments.
By Nasir El-Rufai
Thisday
