“…I am really at a loss as to why Mr. Rufai is undertaking this his self-assigned exercise and what he anticipates to accomplish at end of the day… 

I am of the view that Mr. Rufai’s rating and ranking of states’ economic fortunes is an exercise in futility because it is neither addressing the past, which gave us the mini states that he is critiquing nor the future which many knowledgeable Nigerians are beginning to envision in terms of integrated regional economic development…

Okenwa R. Nwosu, M.D.

I have not spoken to Mr. El Rufai and therefore cannot be speaking for him. I will be guessing as much as anybody else as I try to answer Mr. Okenwa Nwosu’s questions. In the end Mr. El Rufai would have to speak for himself. What he (El Rufai) anticipates to accomplish at end of the day could be just to stimulate discussion about the state’s budgetary proposals. I think he is accomplishing that objective much more than he thought possible. I happen to think that, that (stimulating discussion) is a noble objective. I also think that he is offering some points of view that need to be looked into even when one does agree with them. I think that we all should be thankful to him for those. It is left for us to take what is good in his suggestions and to throw out the ones we believe are not germane to the state.

Mr. Rufai’s rating and ranking of states’ economic fortunes is an exercise in futility because it is neither addressing the past, which gave us the mini states that he is critiquing nor the future. Again I think that Mr. Nwosu is wrong. He (Mr. El Rufai) is addressing both the past and the future. By illustrating, as Mr. Nwosu himself has acknowledged he has done, the incongruity of some states and their inability to be viable Mr. El Rufai is addressing poor quality of analysis that went into the creating of the states (therefore the past) and there cannot be a better time to present this information than now when the House and the Senate are proposing creating additional states. So in this respect Mr. El Rufai is addressing the future. If we learn of our past mistakes we are better able to tackle the future.

The worst mistake we can make in our country and our state is to shut up debate. We must welcome discussion even from the stupid among us. It is by playing the white and black keys of a piano that we get good music. Let this debate continue as vigorously as it is going. I did not think, for once, that if one said a word about Anambra that it would go unchallenged. No way! It is perhaps one of the things Mr. El Rufai missed when he wrote about the education level of Anambra people. They are coming out of their holes in droves. Would that his analysis of Bauchi, and other NC states had produced as much vigorous discussion or those of Lagos, et al.

Mr. El Rufai give us more. Tell us about Enugu, Imo, Abia, Ebonyi and all the remaining states.

Benjamin Obiajulu Aduba

Boston,Massachusetts

June 10, 2012