Politics

Check The Region your State Belong To: Return to Regional Government Bill Ready For Tinubu on Friday

Published by Tope Fakinlede on June 13th, 2024.

Check The Region your State Belong To: Return to Regional Government Bill Ready For Tinubu on Friday

President Bola Tinubu is set to receive a draft bill on Friday that proposes a return to a regional system of government in Nigeria.

Authored by Akin Fapohunda, a prominent member of the Yoruba socio-cultural group Afenifere, the bill is 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.” This proposed legislation aims to introduce new laws under the title “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria New Governance Model for Nigeria Act 2024.”

Last week, News360 Nigeria reported that the House of Representatives had disowned the bill. Their spokesman, Akin Rotimi, and the Chairman of the Committee on Rules and Business clarified that the bill had not been included in the ongoing constitutional review.

Despite this, Fapohunda confirmed on Thursday that the bill would be submitted to President Tinubu on Friday. “I’m submitting my letter (draft bill) today but will wait for seven days before releasing it to the public,” Fapohunda stated.

Representing the Coalition of Indigenous Ethnic Nationalities, Fapohunda outlined a proposal to divide the country into eight geopolitical regions with interim boundaries. These proposed regions include:

– **Southern Region**: Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, and Cross Rivers States, along with optional inclusions of various ethnic groups from Southern Imo, Northern Ondo State, and others.
– **South Eastern Region**: Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States.
– **Western Region**: Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, and Ekiti States, including the Yoruba-speaking people in Kogi and parts of Kwara State.
– **Mid-Western Region**: Edo and Delta States, possibly including the Anioma people.
– **Eastern Middle Belt Region**: Parts of Northern Cross River, Southern Kaduna, Southern Borno, Adamawa, Benue, Kogi, Plateau, Nasarawa, and Taraba States.
– **Western Middle Belt Region**: Southern Kebbi and parts of Kwara and Niger States.
– **North Eastern Region**: Parts of Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Jigawa, and Yobe States.
– **North Western Region**: Kaduna, parts of Kebbi, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara States.

Fapohunda envisioned a two-tier government system comprising federal and regional levels, with regions managing their own affairs, including the creation of sub-entities based on agreed stipulations.

The proposed governance structure includes:
– **Regional Governments**: Each with executive and legislative bodies led by a Premier.
– **Provinces**: Current states converted to provinces governed by Provincial Councils with integrated executive and legislative functions.
– **Divisions**: Present Local Government Areas transformed into divisions managed by divisional managers and administrative officers focused on socio-economic development.

The coalition advocates for a new constitution allowing regions to create, merge, or reconfigure their sub-political units independently. They also suggest a reduction in the cost of public and civil service administration to 20-30% of generated revenue, a unicameral federal legislature, and a decentralized federal power structure favoring no more than ten regions.

Additionally, the Federal Government would be streamlined to no more than nine ministries and ministers, drawing inspiration from the United States, which has just 15 Cabinet Ministers.

The group also supports a return to a parliamentary system of government with statutory rotation of leadership among the regions.