Former Kaduna State Governor and ex-Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has urged Nigerians to embrace true federalism, credible elections, and elite consensus as the foundation for national progress over the next six decades.
Speaking at an interactive session in Owerri with clergy, professionals, and citizens, El-Rufai said Nigeria’s democratic journey since 1999 has seen regular elections, but voter participation has drastically declined—from over 60 percent turnout in 2003 to just 27 percent in 2023. He described the trend as a dangerous sign of public disengagement.
“The evidence compels us to say it plainly. Nigeria is the world’s most populous Black nation, projected to exceed 400 million by 2050, yet remains structurally fragile,” El-Rufai said. He pointed to poverty, youth unemployment, inflation, and mounting debt as major challenges undermining stability.
The former governor called for a new elite consensus across political, business, and civil society leaders, stressing that stability in democracies depends not only on constitutions but also on unwritten agreements about power, citizenship, and fair competition.
He advocated for the adoption of electronic voting and real-time transmission of results ahead of the 2027 elections, citing Kaduna’s successful digital voting experiments in 2018 and 2021.
“Imagine a system where each voter is verified electronically, votes digitally, and sees results transmitted instantly and transparently. Public confidence begins to rebuild itself, one fair vote at a time,” he said.
On federalism, El-Rufai argued that Nigeria must return to decentralization, where states have greater autonomy over policing, education, healthcare, infrastructure, and taxation. He praised recent constitutional amendments moving electricity and railways to the concurrent list as steps in the right direction.
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“True federalism encourages competition, innovation, and accountability. It replaces uniform mediocrity with decentralized excellence,” he said.
El-Rufai concluded with a call to action: “At 65, Nigeria must choose. We can continue to lurch forward, or we can reset deliberately, boldly, and with collective purpose. Nigeria can be great—but it must be deliberately made great, not wished into greatness.”
He also extended Independence Day greetings, expressing optimism that with vision and courage, Nigeria’s next 65 years could be transformative.