Delivering a lecture at the weekend, the deputy President of the Senate brought focus to what he described as the feeding bottle federalism that is presently obtainable in the country.
Senator Ekweremadu spoke while delivering the Sixth Annual Oputa Lecture at the Osgoode Hall Law School, York University in Toronto, Canada at the weekend.
His lecture titled “Nigerian Federalism: A Case for a Review” is undoubtedly bound to elicit interest among students of Nigeria’s federalism. It would also be of interest to power brokers who have thrived as the nation’s federal system foundered over time.
Before Ekweremadu’s intervention last week, some other frontline commentators including Mr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN had intervened with similar suggestions on redefining the nature of the country’s federalism.
In Agbakoba’s submission made last June just as the present National Assembly commenced deliberation, he suggested among others that the 36 states of the federation should be knocked down into their respective geopolitical zones which should be recognized as the basis of the nation’s federation. He claimed to have prepared a bill to actualize that purpose.
With power conceded to the six geopolitical zones the country in his dream could then have six super Governors administering the six geopolitical zones with the states maybe reduced to at best provinces or administrative units.
The submission elicited some reactions with the Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP being the most vociferous in its commendation of the proposal.
Welcoming the Agbakoba bill on returning the country to true federalism, the body said in a statement last year,
“The CNPP supports the convergence of national consensus on the imperative to return Nigeria to a True Federal Republic as distinct from the Unitary System of government being practiced today; hence the clamour and urgency to amend the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” the body said in a statement issued on its behalf by its spokesman, Osita Okechukwu.
“Public commentators have queried the inelegant manner in which a Constitution with the tag Federal Republic is structured and chartered along Unitary System of government.”
“It is our considered view that the inherent capacity for True Federalism to accommodate multi-ethnic nationalities and their diversities without undermining national unity; was what made our founding fathers to adopt Federalism in the London Constitutional Conference of 1953.
“We accordingly endorse the Bill submitted to the National Assembly by Mr Olisa Agbakoba, (SAN), the position of the Nigerian Governors’ Forum for review of the Revenue Allocation Formula and the agitation of many patriots for true federalism.”
It was as such remarkable that Senator Ekweremadu would amplify the debate, albeit in a subtle manner. Ekweremadu’s suggestion on the collapse of the states is, however, contrary to the aspiration of his immediate political associate, Senator David Mark who to the bemusement of many, is seemingly fixated with creating at least one more state. Mark is from the Idoma ethnic group in Benue State.
The Idoma people have never produced a Governor for the state and believe that their only way of having an Idoma Governor is through the creation of an Apa State compassing the Idoma nation. Mark has at almost all functions involving his people continued to reiterate that promise.
Ekweremadu’s lecture, however, skirted around the issue of the recklessness of creating more states. He, however, thrust sharply with his submission that the country’s federalism is deformed, a development he said had hindered economic and political growth.
The deputy Senate President was to liken the nation’s federalism as a master-servant relationship, a submission many of the nation’s state Governors would no doubt agree with.
He also recalled the period between 1954 and 1966 which he described as the golden era of the country’s federalism on account of the prosperity and viability recorded among the three regions of the country in that period.
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