Business Day (Nigeria)

No assurance the restructur­ing report will be implemente­d - El-rufai

...challenges NESG, civil societies to put pressure on govt

- DOZIE EMMANUEL, Abuja HARRISON EDEH, Abuja

As the clamour for restructur­ing keeps mounting by the day, there is no guaranty that the restructur­ing report of the All Progressiv­e Congress ( APC) government, submitted in 2018 would be implemente­d.

Chairman of the restructur­ing committee and governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-rufai, disclosed this on Tuesday in one of the panel sessions at the 26th Nigerian Economic Summit (#NES 26) in Abuja.

Though El-rufai expressed confidence that the report would be implemente­d, he admitted that he could not give assurance because he had no control over it.

He, however, pointed out that the current leadership of the National Assembly was committed to implementi­ng the report.

The governor added that President Muhammadu Buhari was committed to accenting to any amendments that come before him given that the current federal system of government was not working.

El-rufai further observed that the centre was weak and that the current political culture cannot lead to the emergence of competent political leaders.

The governor was of the view that various conference­s and committees had made very sound recommenda­tions, which need to be implemente­d.

He, therefore, challenged interest groups such as the NESG and civil societies to put pressure on government for the report to be implemente­d.

El-rufai hinted that in the report, they recommende­d the creation of state judicial councils to ease the pressure on court judges in the states.

The governor debunked rumour making the rounds that the north was against restructur­ing and called on Nigerians to differenti­ate the noise of the few and the voice of the silent majority.

According El-rufai, “I cannot give assurance on something I don’t have control over. The only assurance I can give Nigerians is that the President fully supports the restructur­ing reforms. The leadership of the National Assembly is fully on board. There is alignment between the executive and judiciary. Both leaders in the two Houses are working on it.

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