No matter how you cut it, Nigeria simply has to give her federating units production and foreign direct investment targets to end this perpetual parasitism

Ayo Akinfe

[1] Nigeria is going round in incoherent circles at the moment. Economic growth is stagnant and we need to break the cycle if we are to progress

[2] Apart from Lagos and Abuja, every other state in the country is dependent on crude oil handouts for its survival

[3] One does not need to be a rocket scientist to figure out that we need to get our states producing if we want to move forward

[4] How about our National Assembly passes a Nigerian Foreign Direct Investment Bill compelling every state to generate a minimum of $1bn annually

[5] Then, we also need a Nigerian Local Production Bill compelling every state to generate at least $1bn in internal revenue annually

[6] For me, this bill should also include job creation targets

[7] States that excel should be rewarded with federal counter-funding prizes

[8] States that fail to meet targets for two successive years should have the National Assembly declare a state of emergency in them. A federal administrator should then be appointed to replace the governor

[9] Three successive years of no growth or foreign direct investment (FDI) should trigger mandatory impeachment proceedings against the governor

[10] Just so the arrangement is seen as just and fair, each zone should have seven states each with an arrangement that looks like this:

South-south

[1] Bayelsa State - Yenagoa

[2] Western Ijaw State - Patani

[3] Rivers State - Port Harcourt

[4] Cross River State - Calabar

[5] Akwa Ibom State - Uyo

[6] Edo State - Benin

[7] Delta State - Warri

Northeast

[1] Mambilla State - Gashaka

[2] Taraba State - Jalingo

[3] Adamawa State - Yola

[4] Borno State - Maiduguri

[5] Yobe State - Damaturu

[6] Bauchi State - Bauchi

[7] Gombe State - Gombe

Southeast

[1] Anioma State - Asaba

[2] Orashi State - Omoku

[3] Anambra State - Awka

[4] Imo State - Owerri

[5] Enugu State - Enugu

[6] Abia State - Umuahia

[7] Ebonyi State - Abakaliki

North-Central

[1] Abuja State - Abuja

[2] Gurara State - Kafanchan

[3] Benue State - Makurdi

[4] Plateau State - Jos

[5] Nasarawa State - Lafia

[6] Kogi State - Lokoja

[7] Niger State - Minna

Southwest

[1] Oya State - Ilorin

[2] Oyo State - Ibadan

[3] Ogun State - Abeokuta

[4] Lagos State - Ikeja

[5] Ondo - Akure

[6] Ekiti - Ado-Ekiti

[7] Osun - Oshogbo

Northwest

[1] Sokoto State - Sokoto

[2] Kebbi State - Birnin Kebbi

[3] Kaduna State - Kaduna

[4] Katsina State - Katsina

[5] Kano State - Kano

[6] Jigawa State - Dutse

[7] Zamfara State - Gusua