Vice President Kashim Shettima has said Nigeria’s federal system is not inherently faulty but has been weighed down by poor resource management and a lack of accountability across all levels of government.
The Vice President said this at the 7th edition of the Leadership Conference and Awards in Abuja on Tuesday.
Speaking, the Vice President said the country’s challenges are less about constitutional structure and more about “a deficit of collective fiscal responsibility.”
According to a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant on Media & Communications, Stanley Nkwocha, Shettima said the “problems attributed to the current federal system often stem from the poor management of resources rather than from any inherent flaw in the country’s constitutional architecture.”
The Vice President, who was represented by his Special Adviser on General Duties, Dr Aliyu Modibbo, noted that the improvement of Nigeria’s federalism lies in addressing the dysfunction in the system over the years.
“To improve our federalism, we must not lose sight of the dysfunctions that have been allowed to fester under the current system.
“If we at the national level deliver on our promises, if our governors manage their allocations with prudence, if our local governments are truly autonomous and accountable if every kobo is deployed with the people’s interest in mind, then the structure will serve us well.”
He said Nigeria does not need a carbon copy of federal systems from other countries like Canada or Switzerland, but a model that reflects its own “social, ethnic, and demographic complexities.”
“We must resist the temptation to romanticise foreign systems or prescribe imported solutions that fail to account for our distinct social, ethnic, and demographic complexities.
“What we seek, therefore, is not a photocopy of another country’s model, but a federal structure tailored to our aspirations.
“It must reflect our values, ensure accountability, and foster development at all levels. The only road to such a destination is through sincere dialogue,” he stated.
Shettima also highlighted efforts by the Tinubu administration to make the federal structure more effective, pointing to the push for local government autonomy and the Supreme Court’s recent pronouncements on the issue.
He said, “This administration, under the leadership of His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is confronting this challenge directly. We have chosen the path of reform. It is bold, often difficult, but necessary.”
The Vice President also said recent policy choices—such as fuel subsidy removal and ongoing tax reforms—are intended to ensure fiscal responsibility and create room for states to grow.
He commended the Leadership Media Group for creating a platform for national dialogue and honouring individuals who are “the embodiment of values we aspire to institutionalise integrity, innovation, and impact.”
