Leadership (Abuja)
Golu Timothy
6 November 2007
Abuja — Vice President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan has identified poverty and frustration arising from lack of access to resources as a major threat to federalism, especially in Africa. He also underlined years of military rule, in most African countries, as a factor responsible for weakened foundational federalist principles and structures.
Giving the Nigerian experience at the 4th International Conference on Federalism ICF, yesterday, in New Delhi India, Dr. Jonathan said that the federal structure has been continually threatened by contests over scarce resources and declining natural resources.
This he said has been compounded by ravaging climatic conditions. According to him, "this situation including the problem of lands, waters and space, have ignited primordial fears of domination and political denial leading to words like, settlers and indigenes in the nation's vocabulary."
The Vice President who was in attendance with other heads of government of participating Federations, including Mr. Ahmed A Sambi, President of Comoros, Ms. Micheline Calmy-Rey, President of the Swiss Confederation, Mr. Meles Zenawi, Prime Minister of Ethiopia and the Host Prime Minister, Dr. Manmohan Singh of India , noted that part of the solutions to these myriads of problems is the proposed review of the 1999 constitution which flows from a military tradition with its inherent problem of power relations between the federal, the states, and the local governments.
Declaring the conference open, the Indian Prime Minister, expressed concern over lack of unity and nationalism in a young or old federation, even in a multi party environment.
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