Former Vice Presidential candidate, Peter Obi has advised state governments to improve their revenue generation capacity.
He stated this while speaking on the ongoing Value Added Tax collection drama between some state governments and the Federal Inland Revenue Service, when he featured on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme, on Sunday.
Obi expressed optimism that fiscal federalism will make Nigeria more productive.
He said that discussions on fiscal federalism in Nigeria should be centred on revenue generation, instead of revenue sharing.
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“My stand on the issue of fiscal federalism hasn’t changed because it will make the country productive. Whenever such controversies come up, what bothers me is that the country always concentrates on sharing, nobody is talking about how to generate income,” Obi said.
“Nobody is talking about production. The country is not productive, that is why we are preoccupied with sharing.
“If we are productive, it will be very easy for Nigeria to grow, be able to create jobs and do what others are doing.
“Every part of Nigeria has the potential to grow and compete, but we are not doing that.”