By Hamid Sabo Katsina —
Katsina state Governor, Aminu Bello Masari, has debunked media reports claiming that Katsina is opposed to devolution of power, as being canvassed by a section of the country, some interest groups and individuals.
Th e position of the state, according to Masari, is that there was need for power to be devolved to the two lower tiers of governments, but only in a way that would not weaken the central government.
Senior Special Assistant, Media, Abdu Labaran Malumfashi, quoted the governor to have made the clarifi cations while inaugurating the Katsina Technical Committee on Restructuring.
“Katsina’s position as regards the devolution of power is clear.
We believe that the federal government has no business running primary and secondary education and running primary and secondary health institutions.
“It is also our belief that the central government has no business fi xing salaries for elected offi ce holders across board, because there is no justifi cation for the governors of Lagos, Rivers and Kano states to earn the same salary with their counterparts in Katsina, Cross River and Ekiti states”, Masari said.
He said that as desirable as devolution of some responsibilities to states and local governments might be, “we must not get carried away and throw away the baby with the bath water.
“We need a strong central government to handle issues of internal security, foreign policy and such other issues that are of common interest to the entire country.
“Th e federal government should be empowered and encouraged to deal with threat in whatever guise to the corporate existence of the country”, he added.
