Former Kaduna State Governor and ex-Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has referred to as on Nigerians to embrace federalism, credible elections, and elite consensus as the inspiration for the nation’s progress over the subsequent 65 years.
Talking at an interactive session in Owerri with clergy, professionals, and residents, El-Rufai emphasised the pressing want for a collective imaginative and prescient to deal with Nigeria’s structural challenges. He famous that whereas Nigeria has made democratic good points since 1999, together with common elections, participation has drastically declined—from over 60 % voter turnout in 2003 to barely 27 % in 2023—reflecting rising public estrangement from the electoral course of.
“The proof compels us to say it plainly. Nigeria is the world’s most populous Black nation, projected to exceed 400 million by 2050, but stays structurally fragile,” El-Rufai mentioned. He highlighted excessive poverty charges, unemployment amongst youth, inflation, and mounting public debt as urgent considerations that threaten nationwide stability.
El-Rufai confused {that a} new elite consensus—an settlement amongst political, enterprise, and civil society leaders on the nation’s route—is essential. “In each functioning democracy, stability lies not simply in constitutions, however in unwritten agreements amongst elites in regards to the limits of energy, the sanctity of citizenship, and the principles of political competitors,” he mentioned.
He additional advocated for a transition to digital voting and real-time transmission of outcomes forward of the 2027 basic elections, citing profitable experiments in Kaduna State throughout the 2018 and 2021 native authorities elections. “Think about a system the place every voter is verified electronically, votes digitally, and sees outcomes transmitted immediately and transparently. Public confidence begins to rebuild itself, one truthful vote at a time,” he mentioned.
Past elections, El-Rufai referred to as for deliberate, competent governance centered on problem-solving moderately than the zero-sum pursuit of energy. He outlined six essential questions Nigeria should tackle, together with financial restructuring, training alignment with labor market wants, infrastructure improvement, healthcare and training funding, and discouraging rent-seeking whereas rewarding trustworthy work.
On federalism, he argued that Nigeria should return to its founding rules of decentralization, the place states have autonomy over key sectors reminiscent of policing, training, healthcare, infrastructure, and taxation. “True federalism encourages competitors, innovation, and accountability. It replaces uniform mediocrity with decentralized excellence,” he mentioned, noting that latest constitutional amendments shifting electrical energy and railways to the concurrent record are steps in the fitting route.
El-Rufai concluded with a name to motion: “At 65, Nigeria should select. We are able to proceed to lurch ahead, or we are able to reset intentionally, boldly, and with collective goal. Nigeria could be nice—but it surely should be intentionally made nice, not wished into greatness.”
He prolonged Independence Day greetings to Nigerians, expressing optimism that with imaginative and prescient, readability, and braveness, the nation’s subsequent 65 years could be transformative.
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