State governments are best positioned to drive rapid development in their states, as shown by chief executives of both Lagos and Abia. The overused line of the constitution not allowing states to grow is wearing thin.

Over the past few years, the most foolish conversations online have been about which region or state has produced the most audacious plunderer of public wealth. The recent commissioning of the Lagos Red Line and Geometric Power Plant in Aba, Abia State, is changing the nature of the conversations. The argument now is which project has the potential to make an impact, and how much the delivery of these projects reflects positively on the chief executive of one of the states better than the other.

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This, indeed, is an excellent change. It is no longer who has the most devious kleptocrat, but which state is executing the project that could transform the life of residents, and support businesses to be more efficient.

The Lagos Rail Mass Transit (LRMT) Red Line is here. #LAMATA #Keepinglagosmoving #LAMATAredlinerail#Lamatagoingred pic.twitter.com/RizuVNEgAC

— Lagos MetropolitanArea Transport Authority LAMATA (@Lamataonline) February 28, 2024

Both the Lagos Red Line and Geometric Power Plant are, indeed, life-transforming projects. The rail service is would transport 500,000 people daily. Along the corridor the trains run, road traffic will be lessened, the number of rickety commercial buses will also reduce, journey times will be shorter, and the environment will benefit from less pollution, among others, all contributing to residents living a more wholesome life.

The Aba Power Plant is equally transformative. With the promise of a regular and adequate power supply, people and businesses would immediately do away with their power generators, air and noise pollution would be reduced, thus enhancing the quality of life, and the clusters of manufacturing companies for which Aba is famed for will roar back to life.

If these projects can be executed at the state level, why are chief executives of the other states not replicating these initiatives?

First, they are quick to point to the constitution of the federal republic as hamstringing them. True, power and rail transportation, among several others, were once on the exclusive list, meaning states could not contemplate undertaking such projects. Since last year, some of the items on the exclusive list, such as power, have been moved to the concurrent list. States can, to a large extent, now determine the pace of their development.

The wonder then is why is it that most of the states are not in a hurry to develop power generation and distribution, which is perhaps the single biggest factor that will change the course of development. This is particularly imperative with the parlous state of power across the country.

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What would it take for the Lagos State government to partner with investors to generate at least 2000MW to feed both Ikeja and Eko DISCOs? Or, Ogun State attracting a 2000MW power generation company to feed industries in the state? Imagine Anambra, Kano, and Kaduna embarking on similar ventures, to bring back the industries that used to thrive in these states. It would be a huge departure from the current hand-wringing by state chief executives.

Can we go further with the decentralisation by, for instance, moving internal security from the exclusive to the concurrent list? This is possibly the most important factor slowing Nigeria’s progress.

In large, heterogeneous countries, centralised systems do not work, have never worked and will never work even in a million years. Examples abound, the most recent being the Union of the Soviet Socialist Republic (USSR), which, despite its military might, had a spectacular collapse.

It takes a lot of faith to believe that the Inspector General of Police, sitting in his air-conditioned office in Abuja, will provide effective leadership to the local police in the Yargoje community in Katsina State, as well as the state police who will see bandit attacks as an attack on the police, not a distant occurrence that Abuja may not even know about until a resident post the incident on social media.

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What about mineral resources? With illegal miners brandishing licences purportedly issued by Abuja, how can states secure their valuable resources? Zamfara, for instance, could rival oil-producing states in terms of revenue if its valuable minerals are not wholly illegally mined.

We are long on rhetoric but fall far short of the actions required to make the country work. The Geometric Power and Lagos Red Line are just a scratch on the surface of what is achievable if state chief executives quit the hand-wringing, stop depending wholly on cash drops from the federal purse and get to work.

Meiza Nigeria