Era Of Depending On FG For Finance Over —Sanusi

[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he Emir of Kano, Malam Muhammad Sanusi II, yesterday, in Kano declared that the era of financial dependency on the Federal Government by states was over. The emir, who made the submission when he received a team of Lagos/Kano Economic Summit in his palace, noted that a working strategy should be evolved by states to lift them out of economic depression. Lagos team is in Kano to engage its Kano counterpart on economic partnership and to strengthen relations.

Sanusi said dependence on the Federal Government by states in this era of economic recession was no longer feasible, stressing that each state should develop its economic blueprint to chart the way forward. He explained that Lagos developed its economic programmes by exploiting its wastes management system for maximum economic benefits of its citizens.

Sanusi said: “Kano, as another critical economic driver, is also creating its economic blueprint, looking at one area of building a new abattoir that would be processing meat and transporting it easily to various states of the federation and the world at large. “Lagos is also today a city-state that has become one of the fastest economic growing hubs in sub-Saharan Africa, collaborating with it would be of great benefits to all.

“Lagos is goods producing state and Kano is the market that takes care of the West African states, so collaboration between the two states is a welcome development.”

The Leader of the Lagos Economic team and also Commissioner for Economic, Budget and Planning, Mr Akinyemi Ashade, said the two states shared a lot in common that could be exploited for the benefits of their citizens.

Chairman of the Kano Economic Team, Professor Shamsudeen Usman, who is former Minister of National Planning, said the two states would deliberate between Thursday and Friday on serious aspects of economic partnership.