No matter how you cut it, Nigeria has to give her federating units production and foreign direct investment targets to end this perpetual parasitism.
Ayo Akinfe
[1] Nigeria is going round in incoherent circles at the moment. Economic growth is stagnant and we need to break the cycle if we are to progress
[2] Apart from Lagos and Abuja, every other state in the country is dependent on crude oil handouts for its survival
[3] One does not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that we need to get our states producing if we want to move forward
[4] How about our National Assembly passes a Nigerian Foreign Direct Investment Bill compelling every state to generate a minimum of $1bn annually
[5] Then, we also need a Nigerian Local Production Bill compelling every state to generate at least $1bn in internal revenue annually
[6] For me, this bill should also include job creation targets
[7] States that excel should be rewarded with federal counter-funding prizes
[8] States that fail to meet targets for two successive years should have the National Assembly declare a state of emergency in them. A federal administrator should then be appointed to replace the governor
[9] Three successive years of no growth or foreign direct investment (FDI) should trigger mandatory impeachment proceedings against the governor
[10] Just so the arrangement is seen as just and fair, each zone should have seven states each with an arrangement that looks like this:
South-south
[1] Bayelsa State – Yenagoa
[2] Western Ijaw State – Patani
[3] Rivers State – Port Harcourt
[4] Cross River State – Calabar
[5] Akwa Ibom State – Uyo
[6] Edo State – Benin
[7] Delta State – Warri
Northeast
[1] Mambilla State – Gashaka
[2] Taraba State – Jalingo
[3] Adamawa State – Yola
[4] Borno State – Maiduguri
[5] Yobe State – Damaturu
[6] Bauchi State – Bauchi
[7] Gombe State – Gombe
Southeast
[1] Anioma State – Asaba
[2] Orashi State – Omoku
[3] Anambra State – Awka
[4] Imo State – Owerri
[5] Enugu State – Enugu
[6] Abia State – Umuahia
[7] Ebonyi State – Abakaliki
North-Central
[1] Abuja State – Abuja
[2] Gurara State – Kafanchan
[3] Benue State – Makurdi
[4] Plateau State – Jos
[5] Nasarawa State – Lafia
[6] Kogi State – Lokoja
[7] Niger State – Minna
Southwest
[1] Oya State – Ilorin
[2] Oyo State – Ibadan
[3] Ogun State – Abeokuta
[4] Lagos State – Ikeja
[5] Ondo – Akure
[6] Ekiti – Ado-Ekiti
[7] Osun – Oshogbo
Northwest
[1] Sokoto State – Sokoto
[2] Kebbi State – Birnin Kebbi
[3] Kaduna State – Kaduna
[4] Katsina State – Katsina
[5] Kano State – Kano
[6] Jigawa State – Dutse
[7] Zamfara State – Gusua
