SCRAP STATES. CREATE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT
CENTRES (CDCs).

                      By

           Dr Abubakar Alkali 

Sokoto North LGA, Sokoto State

Presented to:
The Committee on the Review of the Constitution Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended)

The House of Representatives Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution.

Public Hearing: North – West
Centre B: Covering Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi States

Holding at: Sokoto Conference Centre, Kasarawa Sokoto.

HIGHLIGHTS:

• Scrap the 36 states of the federation.
• ⁠States have outlived their usefulness and are only serving as cesspits of corruption.
• ⁠Create 3 CDCs in each of the 774 local Government Areas in Nigeria. 774 LGAs * 3 = 2322.
• ⁠True federalism ensures that development is shared across boards including to the grassroots against the current culture of concentrating development at the state capitals for eye service and political gains.
• ⁠Proposed REVENUE SHARING FORMULA: Federal 35%, LGA 30% and CDC 35%.
• ⁠Wards will be subsumed into CDCs. LGAs will supervise the CDCs.
• ⁠The 3 tier structure will be retained. FEDERAL, LGA AND CDC
• ⁠State government employees to be transferred to the services of the CDCs
• ⁠Taking development to the grassroots

INTRODUCTION:
The current outrageous levels of poverty and income inequality in Nigeria can be attributed to the unbalanced and hugely disproportionate spread of resources and development across the 3 tiers of government. FEDERAL, STATE AND LGAs.

A look at the spread of development will reveal that the grassroots are systematically emasculated from infrastructural development and poverty alleviation/eradication with focus mainly on the urban areas, state capitals and cities.

The main reason behind the current high insecurity is the fact that the grassroots communities have been rendered comatose. They cannot defend themselves against bandits and terrorists due to pervasive poverty and lack of social amenities.

All the debates regarding the challenges and problems facing our dear country today arise from the major problem of DISPROPORTIONATE distribution of the enormous resources of the country coupled with the official and almost deliberate over-concentration of these resources meant for all Nigerians in the hands of a select few.

State governors have become demigods and have effectively rendered the grassroots communities useless. Every aspect of development is concentrated in the state capital. This is the reason behind the current very high insecurity, poverty, diseases and other social ills at the grassroots.It should be noted that a fair and equitable distribution of resources across board in line with social justice is not exactly socialism or Marxism as some people are wont to believe.

A fair distribution of resources to the grassroots can still go hand in hand with competition in a capitalist economic system such as Nigeria’s.

TRUE FEDERALISM:
True federalism can only thrive under a fair system that guarantees the spreadof resources and development through a ‘bottom up’ approach where the grassroot communities are empowered enough to serve as drivers of the micro economic system.

Development should start from the grassroots ward communities and move up to states and federal levels rather than the other way round which is the case today.

Where best to connect with the people and take development to their door steps than the community ward level where majority of people reside and which is the last bus stop in the community hierarchy?

It is in this vein that the need arises in Nigeria for the creation of community development centres (CDCs) to bring development closer to the people and take power to where it belongs: The grassroots communities.

The proposed CDC policy entails creating 2322 CDCs at the ward level of the community hierarchy and the scrapping of the states; 3 CDCs per LGA.

This means that the 3 tier government structure as enshrined in the 1999 constitution will still be retained: FEDERAL, LGAs and CDCs. This structure will have to be entrenched in the constitution which currently has the local government as the third tier.

This once again reverberates on the need for a people’s constitution for our dear country to institute these fundamental changes that are prerequisites to the establishment of a fair system and genuine change. Under the proposed CDC structure, 3 CDCs will be created in each of the 774 LGAs to form MINI- local government areas with a secretariat and full administrative structure to run its affairs.

ELECTION OF CDC PRINCIPAL OFFICERS: The CDCs should have a full administrative compliments with Chairmen, Secretaries etc but to qualify, they should win elections.

TRANSFER STATE CIVIL SERVANTS TO CDCs
The current civil service structure at state levels can be depleted by posting a substantial number of the civil servants to their CDCs where they could use their wealth of experience and exposure to develop these communities.

Every civil servant at the state level should be transferred to his CDC to work. The CDCs will be too weak to survive on internally generated revenue (IGR) hence the need for federal allocation to be sent to them directly. This is not saying that the CDCs should perpetually depend on federal allocation for survival but should strive to identify exploitable resources and more importantly promote agricultural development in their communities and work towards financial autonomy in the long run.

It is pertinent that the proposed CDCs build their economy on agriculture because at the end of the day, Nigeria will have to go back to Agriculture that the country abandoned about 40 years ago upon discovery of oil.

DIRECT REVENUE ALLOCATION TO CDCs
The so-called state and local government joint account which state governors use to put the local governments in their ‘pockets’ by deliberately withholding federal allocation meant for the local governments has retarded development at the grassroots hence the CDCs should not be allowed to suffer the same fate. In this regard, the revenue allocation to the CDCs should be sent directly to them with proper monitoring by the federal government.

There should be a direct link and synergy between the federal government and the CDCs for proper monitoring and accountability. Over the long term, the CDCs will have to be autonomous and take their place as the engine room of development to replace the current status quo where the state governments are the hub of activities.

State governments seem to be overwhelmed by the enormity of the task of spreading development across board which is evident by the almost total neglect of the grassroots. The major thing that happens at the state levels is payment of salaries and contractors and that’s it. Let’s wait for the next federal allocation.

The state governors lack the ideas to create jobs and build the manufacturing sector. The lack of a balanced federal structure is one of the reasons why states find it difficult to pay their workers’ salaries. Too much load on some states with little resources.

There is no system of government that allows for excessive concentration of power at the centre which promotes income inequality and is a recipe for corruption. A fair political system will promote fair distribution of resources and ensure that every citizen is adequately catered for irrespective of whether or not he/she is a government official.

This is in tandem with the universal doctrine that power belongs to the people rather than to state governors.

CDCs AS ANOTHER FORM OF COUNTIES.
In the Presidential system, states are not as vibrant and active as the counties (as they are referred to in the U.S), so also in the Parliamentary system such as in Britain where there are no states but councils or boroughs. This is in stark contrast to what obtains in Nigeria where state governments have assumed an Almighty status such that they can even withhold the cash meant for local governments.

It is often believed that the federal allocation to states and local governments is like ‘pocket money’ for the state governor who does what he wants with it. This is not saying that the governor embezzles it but the point is that the governor uses the funds in projects that may not be the priority of the people. Power devolution and spread to the grassroots through the creation of CDCs is the most efficient and effective way of serving the people, empowering our communities and developing the entire country.

RURAL-URBAN MIGRATION:
The creation of CDCs will also discourage rural-urban migration and decongest the cities where people go looking for non-existent jobs and imaginary opportunities.

People will stay put or return to the villages because that is where the action will be under the CDC structure. For a successful implementation of the noble CDC structure, the revenue sharing formula should be changed to ensure that adequate funds are channelled to the CDAs for developmental programmes particularly poverty eradication and infrastructural development.

Proposed Revenue Sharing Formula under a 3-tier system: Federal Government: 35%
Local Government Areas: 30%
Community Dev Centres: 35%

Currently, the revenue sharing formula on monthly basis as specified by the revenue mobilisation, allocation and fiscal commission (RMAFC) is: Federal government: 52.68%
State governments: 26.72%
Local government areas: 20.60%.

Based on this formula, there is an obvious extreme over-concentration of power and resources at the centre with the federal government taking more than half of the total revenue accruing to the nation’s coffers.

The distorted RMAFC revenue sharing formula which doesn’t seem to favour the grassroots is more worrisome when juxtaposed with the fact that the federal government which has the lion’s share of 52.68% is the farthest away from the masses of this country.

This revenue sharing formula coupled with the current appropriation regime of the national budget – 90% recurrent expenditure and 10% capital expenditure- means that the poor masses and the grassroots communities of this country are not part of the development equation in this country.

Everything seems to be happening only in Abuja and the state capitals.

Anybody who is confined to the grassroots and cannot come to Abuja should forget any impact of government. This is unsustainable.

There is the need to give some shine to the grassroots and the communities where majority of Nigerians live and play down on Abuja and the state capitals who already have their own share of development. There is the urgent need to change the appropriation formula in the budget from the status quo (90% recurrent expenditure, 10% capital expenditure) to 70% capital expenditure and 30% recurrent expenditure.

The CDCs should draw up their own ‘scale of preference’ and decide on the projects that are dear to them.

NATIVES SHOULD RUN THE CDC SECRETARIAT
There are advantages in the CDCs being run by native youth groups, traditional rules, women groups and the elites in these communities because everyone in the community knows everyone. This will drastically reduce the level of corruption in the CDCs because an official can only run but he/she cannot hide since his full profile is known by the community. His family are known to everyone, his house/family house etc are all known to everyone hence he will think twice before he sits on money meant for the community. It is a fact that the CDCs will be too close together geographically as to promote the ‘separation and proper design of development.
However, this will not cause any problems to the CDCs since two or more CDCs can pool resources together to execute a project. It is a fact that the CDCs will be too close together geographically as to promote the ‘separation and proper design of development. However, this will not cause any problems to the CDCs since two or more CDCs can pool resources together to execute a project. For example, Nigeria has roads that are designated as federal and state roads. Two or more CDCs or CDC/LGA can pool resources together to build a community link road.

CONCLUSION:
The CDCs should implement projects commensurate to the allocation sent to them and the responsibility of each tier of government in terms of project initiation and delivery should be clearly spelt out in the new constitution that Nigerians are yearning for. The point has been made that the national assembly takes over 25% of the federal budget in a country where average poverty is hovering around 90% and virtually no revenue allocation goes to the communities. Revenue allocation stops at local government level which is not necessarily community based.

The local government system is no longer linked to the communities because it has been decimated by the over bearing influence of state governors.

The ‘bottom up’ approach to power balance and development which ensures that development starts from the grassroot communities have to be implemented if Nigeria is to make any meaningful progress from the current status quo of stagnated development.

It is fair to say that the neglect of the communities is the key factor that gave rise to Bandits, Boko haram, MASSOB, IPOB, OPC, Niger Delta militancy etc. It is a fact that the creation of CDCs will take power to the grassroots and enable Nigeria overcome its challenges of poverty and insecurity.

States are no longer relevant to the modern, grassroots method to fix insecurity and poverty. What is relevant is a community based approach through the community development centres (CDCs).