The President of the African Development Bank Group, Dr Akinwumi Adesina, has proposed a change in the name of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to ‘The United States of Nigeria.’
Adesina made this suggestion during a lecture delivered as the recipient of the 2024 Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership.
In his lecture titled ‘Making a New Nigeria: Welfarist Policies and People-Centred Development,’ Adesina argued that renaming the country to ‘The United States of Nigeria’ would shift the relational dynamics between the states and the federal capital, Abuja.
He proposed that under this new framework, the states would serve as the fulcrum, with the centre supporting them rather than lording over them.
“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.
“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 youth”
“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.”
“The achievement of economically viable entities and the viability of the national entity require 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, he said.