By Polycarp Onwubiko
If sanity is anything to go by in night, the Federal Government student's loan Scheme is far more better handled by state governments who know who is who. Here comes the imperative of restructuring the lopsided Federation to reinvent True Fiscal Federalism in the First Republican Constitution which was suspended by the military Junta.
If pigheadedness cannot allow
the Restructuring the lopsided Federation, the reasonable alternative is to
direct the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission, RAMFC to
review the Statutory Revenue Sharing Formula to enable the state governments
have larger share like 70 percent to enable them tackle the critical amenities
and infrastructures such as the deteriorating roads that crisscross the entire
landscape of the country unattended to by the Minister of works seated at Abuja
office.
Such a review of Statutory
Revenue Sharing Formula will also enable the state governments to address
issues like students loan Scheme because they are in the position to identify
who is who and maintain reliable records and realistic financial disbursement
devoid of financial malfeasance which the federal government MDAs are very
notorious. For instance, grants made by government and international agencies
inclluding cash counterpart contributions CCC are not easily released to the
state governments, Legislators who initiate Constituency Projects,and groups
without a huge percent deduction from the amount for the share of the officials
of the particular MDAs. This is an open secret. The pseudo federalism
stubbornly maintained cannot be of any help in the development of the country.
The searing fact is that unless
there is Restructuring the lopsided Federation, even Angels from Heaven cannot
correct the monumental blunders being committed in all the tiers of government
in the apparently "accursed Nigeria".
Polycarp Onwubiko is a political
analyst writes from Awka, Anambra State
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