Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank Group (AfDB), has proposed renaming the Federal Republic of Nigeria to ‘The United States of Nigeria.’

Adesina‘s proposal, conveyed by his Special Adviser on Industrialisation, Prof. Banji Oyelaran-Oyeyinka, during a lecture on Saturday, March 30, 3034, emphasized the need for a new approach to governance and national identity.

Speaking as the recipient of the 2024 Obafemi Awolowo Prize for Leadership, Adesina stressed the importance of fostering a new relational mindset between states and the federal capital, Abuja. He suggested that empowering states while reducing central authority would lead to more effective governance.

“We must be audacious! Instead of the Federal Government of Nigeria, we could think of the United States of Nigeria. The old would give way to the new.

“We would change the relational mindset between the states and Abuja: the fulcrum would be the states, while the centre would support them, not lord over them.

“With good governance, better accountability systems, and zero tolerance for corruption, more economically stronger constituent states would emerge! We would unleash massive wealth across the states. A New Nigeria would arise! To do so, we will need all of us, not some of us.

“From our forgotten rural villages to our boisterous and dynamic urban areas. From the sparks of desire in the eyes of our children to the lingering hope in the hearts of our youths.

“From the yearnings of our women and mothers and our men and fathers for a better tomorrow, and the desires of the old that our end would be better than our past. From the hardworking street vendors and small businesses to the largest business conglomerates, we must create a movement of hope,” Adesina articulated.