Renowned public affairs commentator and media entrepreneur, Atunyota Akpobome, popularly known as Alibaba, recently shared his perspective on Nigeria's state structure during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily program.
Alibaba criticized the creation of certain states by military regimes, suggesting that some states, primarily established to appease military officers, would have been better suited as local government areas. He pointed out the financial dependency of several states on federal allocations, arguing that those unable to generate sufficient revenue independently should reconsider their status.
Nigeria transformed three regions into 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between 1967 and 1996, with 774 local government areas now distributed across the states. Alibaba highlighted the challenges stemming from the federal government's centralized control of revenue allocation and criticized the flaws in Nigeria's 1999 Constitution, which he attributed to the military regime of former Head of State, General Abdulsalami Abubakar (retd).
He advocated for state autonomy in revenue generation to stimulate economic growth and development, proposing a restructuring of fiscal policies to empower states to manage their finances effectively. Alibaba's remarks contribute to the ongoing discourse surrounding Nigeria's governance structure and underline the importance of constitutional reform to address systemic issues and foster national development.
