He made the observation in an interview at the weekend in Berlin, the German capital at the end of the Nigerian Governors Forum study tour of the country.
Amaechi led governors of Enugu, Niger, Plateau, Borno and Katsina states on the study tour of the German federal system of government with a view to replicate best practises in their respective states.
Having looked at the operation of the German system ´´It is my view that the next thing that we need to look at would be the kind of federalism they practice and what benefits they derive from it. Having observed at first hand, I think the problem with our federalism is that the lack of federal implementation of our laws to support development in the states,
´´The kind of federalism they practice is a situation where the federal government assist states to grow. In our own kind of federalism it´s almost like a competition not among states but between states and federal government.
´´Here the federal government supports states to grow, fund the states to grow, federal government is less visible, and the
federal government is not everything.
´´Here the police is in the hands of the states, economic development is in the hands of the states, states are allowed to have their own banks and you see education in the hands of the states.
´´In the case of the federal republic of Nigeria everything is in the hands of the federal government so you have a heavily burdened federal establishment that cannot relate with the states to develop the country,'' he said.
He added that the present structure of the Nigeria federation inhibits development at the states level adding that there was
a need for the federal government to partner with states to ensure true development at that level of government.
This, he said was critical to ensuring the growth and development of the people at the state level.
´´If the states do not develop, people do not develop. Nobody leaves in the federation, people leave in the different states.
´´So, there is the need for the federal government to partner with the states to ensure that the states grow.
´´If it is to be looked at by National Assembly level I concur, or by way of a conference, the bottom line is there is need
for us to look at our federation again.
``The governors during the tour paid special attention to Germany’s administrative system, fiscal policy and the establishment and sustenance of small and medium scale enterprises,'' he said.
``They also met and prospective European investors in different sectors with a view to wooing them to their respective states.''
The study tour was organised by GAIC in conjunction the Nigerian Governors Forum.
GAIC is presently helping to grow small businesses in some northern states in Nigeria.
The German government has also entered into agreement with the federal government to help strengthen its institutions and
provide management training in Nigeria's energy sector to help address the challenges in that sector.
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