Senators from Nigeria’s southern and northern regions have voiced varying opinions about the push to bring back a regional form of government.
They voiced their thoughts on the fringes of a two-day retreat on the 1999 Constitution changes, which was arranged by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) in Kano and the Senate Committee on Constitution Review.
Senators from southern Nigeria viewed the proposal as a positive step that would boost the country’s infrastructure, combat insecurity, and boost the economy, despite the strong opposition of their northern counterparts.
Opeyemi Bamidele, the Senate Leader, reassured Nigerians that the regionalism problem was not included in the current constitutional review.
According to Abdul Ningi, a ranking senator from the Bauchi Central Senatorial District, his people would never accept the concept because they did not benefit in any way from the system’s implementation during the First Republic, which is now in disuse.
“I have heard so much about federalism and regional government, and I have heard people advocating for such ideas,” Ningi remarked.
First of all, the 1999 Constitution—which remains the standard regardless of one’s perspective—remains the foundational text. Additionally, it has specified how it will be modified.
Having said that, it is equally crucial to understand that showing up to the National Assembly and claiming to be a representative of a certain ethnic community is insufficient.
“It begs the question, when was this mandate put out? When did you get it? As a representative of a specific ethnic community in Nigeria, when did you receive the authority to advocate for that group?
Of course, members of the National Assembly are the only ones with the authority to review and alter the Constitution.
Therefore, it’s critical that those who propagate these ideas—which, in my opinion, are false—as representatives of the people inform Nigerians of their background, their source of authority, and the date on which they received their mandate.
“We have witnessed the previous operations of the regional government. The growth of the so-called regional administration centered in Kaduna did not benefit my section of the country, which I represent.
“We’re not going back there in the future! In my capacity as senator, allow me to speak. Either the Nigerian Federation exists, or it does not. We cannot continue; if it is necessary, my senatorial district will be satisfied independently of Nigeria.
In terms of regional governance, my people and constituency oppose it. Since real federalism does not exist, we must restructure the federal government’s current structure and practice fiscal federalism.
Senator Sani Musa, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Finance, cautioned Nigerians not to confuse regionalism with the creation of zonal development commissions.
The numerous geopolitical zonal development commissions, according to him, were solely focused on the social and economic advancement of their respective regions.
“Anyone who believes that the development commissions being established for the six geopolitical zones are a plan towards regionalism is mistaken,” he declared. It’s not.
“Those who support it ought to draft legislation through their National Assembly representatives and gauge public support for their idea.”
In a similar vein, former Senate Leader Ali Ndume claimed that since many African nations had abandoned the concept of true federalism, it was out of style.
He promoted the establishment of powerful institutions to improve government and reduce crime and instability.
“There won’t be a cry for true federalism when the government implements these because there will be justice, equity, and fairness in every part of the nation.”
Regional government proponents were not shared by Senator Muntari Dandutse, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TetFund, who represents the Katsina South Senatorial District.
According to him, the main goal of the current retreat is to fix the flaws and irregularities that have been found in the country’s constitution over time.
“We should not have narrow-minded views about ourselves,” he stated. Not a single region in this nation is unblessed.
Because Nigeria is endowed, it is crucial that we have competent leadership and responsible, reputable access to our riches.
We possess all the comparative advantages necessary to advance this nation—unless, of course, we are sincere and committed.”
The Oyo North Senatorial District’s Senator Abdulfatai Buhari, however, disagreed with those criticizing the regional form of governance.
Recall that under the First Republic, the regions were able to utilize their resources, stated Buhari.
We succeeded in using every resource at our disposal. No one resource dominated the situation.
“During that time, cocoa was associated with the South West and groundnut pyramids with the North. That ought to be within our reach.
“You cut off corruption when you make the center less attractive. Although you can’t completely eradicate it, you can manage it by implementing the “watch your team” strategy. Individuals will follow their team in their neighborhood or in their area.
When asked if the South West area had a plan for the current constitution revision, Buhari replied that it will be given when it was time.
“We have decided among ourselves that the South West Forum Chairman will offer it when the time comes,” he stated, “but we don’t want to reveal that agenda just yet. To start talking about that now that I’m a member would be incredibly unjust.
The Senate Leader did stress, though, that a constitutional amendment could not address the regionalism issue.
“There are certain decisions in the state where an executive bill cannot be brought before the parliament without some sort of political consensus,” he stated.
“In my opinion, returning to a regional system of government will need more than just sponsoring a bill—either an executive or member’s bill.
Furthermore, you can’t just sit down in a public hearing chamber and decide to hold one to make a decision on it.
“Oh, you are in parliament,” is one instance of what I mean. The entire constitution cannot be disregarded by the parliament. Nigeria requires a new constitution since the current one is ineffective.
“People can easily argue these points, but we cannot do that when we are seated in parliament.
We are not altering the constitution because doing so would necessitate both political agreement and the support of the Nigerian people.
Why is it so hard to change a single clause in the constitution, let alone the whole thing?
“The National Assembly and all chambers must go through this entire process, which we go through in every legislative assembly, and many of you have been a part of this process, to amend a single provision in the constitution today.”
