Femi Sanni, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and chairman of Stafolga Group and Flow FM 92.7, says Nigeria’s development cannot depend on Lagos and Abuja alone.
Speaking on Friday during a visit to the Kwara state secretariat of the APC in Ilorin, Sanni, popularly known as Araba, called for stronger sub-national governance across the country.
He congratulated the APC leadership in Kwara, led by Sunday Fagbemi, the state chairman, following the successful conduct of the party’s congress.
According to him, Nigeria’s progress “ultimately depends on the performance and functionality of its states”.
“A country can only be as good as the sum total of its sub-nationals,” he said.
He said the political culture nurtured in Lagos state and widely credited to President Bola Tinubu has ensured continuity of governance and accelerated development.
Sanni said the Lagos model shows that political succession anchored on ideas rather than personalities can transform states into viable economic centres.
“If we say the United States is a great country, it is because every state contributes meaningfully to the national strength,” he said.
“In Nigeria, we must begin to measure development from the states. If only Lagos and Abuja are functional, that means only two out of 37 units are working effectively.”
Sanni said strengthening state institutions and entrenching political continuity across administrations would help to accelerate national development.
He also commended Tinubu for sustaining progressive political ideals over the decades.
Sanni praised AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, governor of Kwara, for laying what he described as “a new benchmark for governance in the state”.
He urged the APC leadership to consolidate the governor’s reforms and ensure that future political contests within the party are conducted on a transparent and level playing field.
Sanni said the struggle to install progressive governance in Kwara was the result of years of political perseverance.
“I contested for the house of representatives in 2003,” he said.
“As I recall, Alhaji Lai Mohammed and myself were both on the ballot under the Alliance for Democracy (AD) at the time.”
Sanni said the early efforts later evolved into a broader progressive coalition that reshaped the state’s leadership in 2019.
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“The effort to rescue Kwara took many years of commitment and sacrifice,” he said.
“This is why it is important that the party builds lasting legacies and avoids returning the state to the old ways of doing things.”
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Responding, Fagbemi commended Sanni for his longstanding commitment to the progressive movement in the state.
“You have always identified with the progressive family in Kwara,” Fagbemi said.
“The fruit of the labour of those early years is what we are all benefiting from today. We appreciate your commitment.”
