PROPOSAL OF A NEW NIGERIA TOWARDS A RESTRUCTURED NIGERIA

NEW DIRECTIONS TOWARDS A RESTRUCTURED NIGERIA

By Dr. Akin FAPOHUNDA

(Tel: +234 803 312 1004)

INTRODUCTION

For years, especially since 1999, the landscape of Nigeria has been awash with calls, talks and pointed demands for change in the political architecture and configuration. 

Various terms such as fiscal federalism, restructuring and devolution of powers have been bandied around in the media space, to the extent that the generality of the citizenry are at a total loss as to what really were amiss.

The prevailing state of apprehension and misunderstanding of what is to come obviously makes it desirable to furnish the public with full information. It bears no restating the therein no intent to hurt any section of the Nigerian society. 

Rather Nigeria has been over divided into political entities to the extent that her resources have become drastically inadequate for all developmental purposes.

What is proposed in this document is tantamount to a total shake down of the Nigerian polity, with intent to re-build it from ground up based on painstaking grassroot consultation and voluntary decision making. For once the peoples of Nigeria from villages, towns, communities, and ethnic nationalities will reflect over a period of one year and voluntarily decide on how we shall be together.

The applicable principles for territorial aggregation or dis-aggregation of communities and ethnic nationalities would now be:

• economic self-sustainability of a contiguous territory,

• proactive plans for the exploitation and development of local resources and 

potentials

• intent to collaborate and cooperate in pursuit of self-development.

The previous flavour of being on standby to partake in the sharing of federally collected revenue must yield space to local self-survival considerations. It is expected that previously antagonistic communities will wake up to the reality of joint action towards mutually beneficial goals.

Finally, the anticipated work of restructuring will not end at a set cutoff date towards 2025 or any period thereafter. Rather, once the imposition from the top method and legacy of the military rule yields to a coherent procedure for self-determination from bottom up, the energies and the soul of the Nigerian nation will subsequently be focused of development and creation of positive identity for the largest concentration of black peoples on earth.

FROM THE PAST TO THE PRESENT

The nomenclature of whether Regions or States to describe territorial entities has been a matter of choice. In 1960 we named Nigeria’s political entities REGIONS after the 4 geographical cardinal points: East, North and West. But from 1967, we adopted the political nomenclature of STATES, to accommodate the increase in their number to 12. Now that it has become expedient to re-aggregate again, it is still appropriate to retain the nomenclature of REGIONS for the naming of Nigeria’s political entities.

What is of concern is the content and form of administration which is a matter of constitutional framework. Whether presidential or parliamentary governance framework is adopted eventually, the naming of entities is a matter of convention and public understanding of terms.

The nomenclature of whether Regions or States to describe territorial entities is a matter of choice. What is of concern is the content and form of administration which is a matter of constitutional framework. Whether presidential or parliamentary governance framework is adopted eventually, the naming of entities is a matter of convention and public understanding of terms.

In 1960 we named Nigeria’s political entities REGIONS after the 4 geographical cardinal points: East, North and West. But from 1967, we adopted the political nomenclature of STATES, to accommodate the increase in their number to 12.

Now that it has become expedient to re-aggregate again, it is most appropriate to retain the nomenclature of REGIONS for the naming of Nigeria’s political entities.

Coalition of Indigenous Ethnic Nationalities (CIEN) CIEN PROPOSED REGIONS OF NIGERIA (TO GUIDE NATIONAL CONVERSATIONS AND DECISION)

THE PROPOSED REGIONS Regions are currently named after the geographical cardinal points. The peoples in the respective territories shall be at liberty to adopt appropriate indigenous names at whatever time in the future.

Eight (8) Regions are proposed with approximate interim boundaries, as follows:

1). Southern Region: Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross Rivers States. Optional inclusions 

would be the Annang, Effik, Ekoi, Ibibio, Oro Ohaji/Egbema in Southern Imo, the

Adonia, Efemia, Ijaw, Ogoni, Bini, Ishan, Isoko, Urhobo and the Ijaw-speaking people 

in Northern Ondo State with land contiguity.

2). South Eastern Region: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States.

3). Western Region: Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, Ekiti States, incorporating the Yoruba-speaking people in Kogi and the Igbomina people in Kwara State. Additional options would be for the Itsekiri people of Delta State and Akoko-Edo people of Edo State to make their respective choices

4). Mid Western Region: Edo and Delta States, possibly incorporating the Anioma people.

5). Eastern Middle Belt Region: Northern Cross River, Southern Kaduna, Southern Borno, Adamawa, Benue, Kogi, Plateau, Nassarawa and Taraba States 

6). Western Middle Belt Region: Southern Kebbi, Parts of Kwara and Niger States

7). North Eastern Region: Parts of Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Jigawa, and Yobe States

8). North Western Region: comprise Parts of Kaduna, Parts of Kebbi, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto and Zamfara States.

CREATION OF SUB-REGIONAL ENTITIES

In a Federation, it is axiomatic that there are 2 levels: FEDERAL and REGIONS as envisaged in a proper Nation of Nigeria. It is also the norm that the second tier of government has the liberty to manage her affairs, including the creation of sub-entities, based on the stipulations that are agreed and embedded in their respective constitutions. CIEN therefore has no intention of proposing SubRegional entities.

Regardless, we are mindful of the proposals contained in the 2014 Confab Reports. 

What was demanded should therefore be for the consideration of the authorities of the Regions when agreed upon and constituted. There could be more Provinces, Divisions and Districts over time.

PROPOSED GOVERNANCE STIPULATIONS

In the quest for re-configuration and downsizing, an option to consider might be to retain the present boundaries of the 36 States, as would have been adjusted, but to creatively downgrade the paraphernalia of political administration as follows.

The front-page map and the following explanatory notes are a product of considerable consultations and discussions by CIEN members with bona fide citizens of the respective territories. Regardless, the proposal is still subject to further public discourse and formal approval by the respective ethnic nationalities. The proposed

1. To introduce a new regional government framework with executive and 

legislative functions and bodies with the headship title of Premier.

2. In the new dispensation, the present States (for example the 6 in the Western Region) would be converted to Provinces. Governance at this level shall be by Provincial Councils that integrate executive and legislative functions: with Chairman and Support Specialist Administrative Officers. The Regions shall be at liberty to create PROVINCES, subject to viability and self-sustainability.

3. The present LGA’s are to be transformed into Divisions, with Divisional Managers and Specialist Administrative Officers; to operate as SocioEconomic Development Institutions. The new PROVINCES shall also be at liberty to create Divisions, subject to viability and self-sustainability.

FEATURES PROPOSED FOR THE NEW FEDERAL CONSTITUTION

The new constitution of Nigeria should embody the following imperatives:

◆ Two Tier Framework of Governance: Federal and State Levels

◆ The New States are to be voluntary aggregates of contiguous constituent 

ethnic nationalities out of the existing States

◆ Sub-Regional Entities are to be at the sole discretion of the New States.

◆ The Regions shall be granted freedom to create, merge and or re-configure their sub political units: may adopt Provinces, Divisions or Districts as may suit their circumstances without interference from any other authority

◆ Regions and Sub-Regional entities are to be reconfigured such as would reduce the cost public and civil service administration to less than 20 to 30% of generated revenue. Public resources are thus to be freed for deployment in favour of the masses of Nigerian people.

◆ Federal and the respective Constitutions are to be produced separately.

◆ In drafting their Constitutions, the peoples of the respective Regional Territories will take cue and also dismantle any arrangement or configuration that will favour the politicians and the political class; with focus on freeing resources for true development.

◆ A uni-camera Federal legislature comprising members that are elected at the discretion of the Regions for which they would be representatives at Abuja.

◆ Decentralization of Federal Power in favour of not more than 10 Regions on which there is general national consensus, rather than the presently unwieldy number of 36 States. These Old States are definitely inconsequential indeed in being a viable unit of a truly Federal System of Government.

◆ A Federal Government that shall comprise not more than 9 Ministries and Ministers. After all, the very big United States have just 15 Cabinet Ministers, while Nigeria is not even up to just a State of Texas or New York.

◆ All bureaucratic appointments by political office holders outside the pool of career civil servants, however designated are to be outlawed: no more SSA's, SPA's and a motley of assistants.

◆ Devolved Revenue Mobilization, Socio-Economic and Development Functions in favour of the Regions

◆ Devolved Internal Security Architecture, with built in statutory rotation of headship among the Regions

◆ Derivation of Revenue in favour of the sources of generation, but with at least a 3-year phased implementation of crude oil revenue sharing to enable assimilation of the new tenets of self-reliance and self-sustainability.

◆ A re-worked list of functions such that such trivialities as Marriage license issuance is now off the Exclusive list of the Federal Government

◆ Adapted Federal Parliamentary System, with built in statutory rotation of headship among the Regions

◆ Regionalization of Census and Organization of Electoral Contests. The New Regions are to prescribe the mode of leadership selection and recruitment that are most suitable for their situation, as would simplify contests and drastically reduce monetization.

◆ Regional Judiciary with codification of Federal offences and stipulations, distinctively from those of the other levels of governance: Constitutional Federal Courts and Regional Supreme and Courts of Appeals.

◆ The modality of a Technical Panel of not more than 9 members is proposed to facilitate all processes towards the reconfiguration of the Nigerian polity is proposed.

The draft of a Bill embodying all the above stipulations is being forwarded to the President and the principal functionaries of the National Assembly.

The ball is now in the court of everyone that truly believes in the greatness of Nigeria and her ability to rise up to the challenge of development based on the energization of her peoples without the yoke of an elephantine Federal authority. With this articulation, no one now has the luxury of claiming ignorance of what restructuring means or how to proceed with deliberate action, as soon as possible.

Abuja,

12-June-2024.