President Bola Tinubu is set to receive a proposed bill aimed at reverting Nigeria to a regional system of government, today.
The proposed legislation authored by a chieftain of the Yoruba socio-cultural association, Afenifere, Akin Fapohunda, and titled, “A Bill for an Act to substitute the annexure to Decree 24 of 1999 with New Governance Model for the Federal Republic of Nigeria’, seeks among others, new extant laws to be cited as “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria New Governance Model for Nigeria Act 2024.”
The draft bill which was earlier reported that the House of Representatives had disowned the proposed bill.
Related: Nigerian House of Reps. Disown Proposed Bill For Regional Government
Fapohunda, as a member and speaking on behalf of the Coalition of Indigenous Ethnic Nationalities, unveiled a proposal to reconfigure Nigeria into eight distinct geo-political regions, with temporarily defined borders, as a key aspect of the organization’s vision for a revamped governance structure.
Fapohunda proposed a Southern Region consisting of Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, and Cross Rivers States. The region may also include additional ethnic groups and areas, such as the Annang, Effik, Ekol, Ibibio, Oro, and Ohaji/Egbema in Southern Imo. Other potential inclusions are the Adonia, Efemia, Ijaw, Ogoni, Bini, Ishan, Isoko, Urhobo, and Ijaw-speaking communities in Northern Ondo State, provided they share contiguous borders.
The coalition proposes a two-tier system of government, consisting of a federal government and regional governments, with the latter having autonomy to self-govern and manage their internal affairs, including the ability to establish sub-entities, such as states or local governments, as long as they are in accordance with the provisions outlined in their respective regional constitutions.
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In its proposed governance framework, the Coalition of Indigenous Ethnic Nationalities (CIEN) suggests that, in the pursuit of reorganization and streamlining, a viable option to consider would be to maintain the existing boundaries of the 36 states, with necessary adjustments, while innovatively downsizing the apparatus of political administration.
This would involve introducing a novel regional government structure, complete with executive and legislative functions, headed by a Premier.
In this new arrangement, the current states, such as the six in the Western region, would be transformed into provinces, with governance at this level entrusted to Provincial Councils that integrate both executive and legislative functions. These councils would be led by a Chairman, supported by specialist administrative officers.
Furthermore, the regions would be granted the autonomy to establish new provinces, contingent upon their viability and self-sustainability, thereby fostering a more decentralized and efficient system of governance.
The coalition also recommends a significant downsizing of the Federal Government, proposing that it should consist of no more than nine ministries and ministers. They argue that this is a reasonable reduction, pointing out that even the United States, a much larger country, has only 15 cabinet ministers.
Moreover, they note that Nigeria’s population and economy are not comparable to those of a single state in the US, such as Texas or New York, highlighting the need for a more streamlined and efficient federal government.
Fapohunda revealed that the entire proposed bill will be released to the public seven days after the President has received the bill.
