Nigerian Legislator Aims to Revive Regional Governance, Presents Bill to Tinubu

• A Nigerian lawmaker has expressed intent to push for the restoration of the regional system of government in the country
• The bill, which circulated in the public recently, has been disowned by the House of Representatives
• The sponsor has now vowed to table the proposal to President Tinubu and also present it to the House for deliberations

Weeks after the controversially reinstated old national anthem, "Nigeria we hail thee," a report has emerged that a Nigerian lawmaker is working toward the restoration of the country's old regional system of government.

News of the bill circulated on social media in the past few days, but the leaders of the House of Representatives disowned it, clarifying that the bill had not been presented before the House.

The drafter of the proposed legislation, Dr Akin Fapohunda, has expressed his will to table the bill to President Tinubu, according to SaharaReporters.

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If assented to, it will be forwarded to the National Assembly as an executive bill, where the 10th Senate will deliberate on it.

What is regional system of government?

The regional system of government is not new to Nigeria; it was used in the past before Nigeria’s first military Head of State, General Aguiyi Ironsi, restructured the model in 1966 to a unitary system.

At the time, there were three regions: Western, Eastern, and Northern. The Mid-Western region only emerged a few years before the whole model was crushed.

In the system of government, each region is allowed to control all resources within its borders, and royalties are paid to the central government.

It is the polar opposite of what we have presently, where the federal government controls all the resources and gives revenue to state and local governments. It was after the restructuring that the regions were broken down into states.

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Aguiyi Ironsi made the stylistically groundbreaking historical move after many national leaders were murdered by rebellious soldiers, prompting him to introduce the unitary model.

Deji Adeyanju Sends Message to Tinubu

In another report, human rights activist Deji Adeyanju called on President Bola Tinubu to release Nnamdi Kanu, the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB).

Adeyanju highlighted that the Supreme Court has deemed Nnamdi Kanu's detention legally questionable due to his extraordinary rendition.

Adeyanju expressed disappointment in Tinubu's administration for not adopting a different approach from Buhari's.

Proofread by Kola Muhammed, journalist and copyeditor at Legit.ng

Source: Legit.ng