Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Atiku
Abubakar, has said he will decongest the exclusive and concurrent lists
in the constitution as part of his plan to restructure the country.
Atiku,
who disclosed this to SUNDAY PUNCH through his media aide, Phrank
Shaibu, also said the report of the 2015 Constitutional Conference on
restructuring would be looked into by relevant stakeholders, adding that
appropriate decision that would be of national interest, would be
taken.
According to him, it is not for one person to dictate that the report must be adopted or not
Atiku
said, “The autonomy of the states and local governments, both of which
are closer to their people than the central government in Abuja, will
result in more effective decisions that would be more potent and
impactful in terms of results and effects.”
Explaining the
modalities for his planned restructuring, the former Vice President
stated that the Federal Government would retain the role of providing
the required direction for the economy, defence and national security,
internal law and order, currency, international affairs and foreign
policy, customs, citizenship and immigration, firearms and related
matters.
He said matters relating internal security, police, law
and order, minerals and mines, land and environment as well as railways,
transport and communication would be devolved to the concurrent list.
Atiku added that local governments would assume its constitutional status as an independent tier of government.
Meanwhile, his wife, Titi, and some leaders of the PDP groups, on
Saturday, accused the President Buhari-led administration of harassing
and intimidating opposition members.
Speaking in separate
interviews with our correspondent during the inauguration of Women
Pathfinders Initiatives for Atiku/Obi in Abuja, they also alleged that
Buhari’s government was stinking with corruption.
Atiku, who was
represented by her personal assistant, Alhaji Abdulrazaq Garba, accused
some Buhari’s government’s officials of being enmeshed in corruption.
She added that the government was allegedly shielding corrupt people.
But
the Federal Government said the allegations of the PDP members against
the government were false and of no consequence, adding that Buhari was
not intimidating the opposition.
The Minister of Information and
Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, in a telephone interview with our
correspondent, accused the PDP members of engaging in blackmail, adding
that Buhari’s government was neither corrupt nor shielding corrupt
people.
Source:- Punchng
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