From Tony Osauzo, Benin
A Benin-based group, God and People Prayer Parliament, has advocated the restructuring of Nigeria to eight regional parliamentary system of government.
National Chairman of the group, Dr. Dele Oluwatade, while presenting the group’s proposal in Benin City, explained that in the proposed arrangement, President Bola Tinubu, would transmute to a prime minister as head of premiers of eight regions to birth a new stable Nigerian federation.
The group, therefore, appealed to the President and the National Assembly to hasten provision of structures for the debate of restructuring the country to commence.
It noted that at independence, there were very significant intentional democratic mistakes/omissions in the
parliamentary system of the first republic which led to its failure. It listed the omissions as absence of provision for a referendum clause, lack of provision for an exit clause from the federal union and the missing third clause: the definition of the territorial integrity of the federating regions in the Constitution of the country at the time.
“The absence of necessary democracy stabilisers led to the mismanagement of the crisis in the West. It was a regional internal affair that would have resolved the issue without declaring a state of emergency which whirlwinded to where we are today. Therefore, for a stable polity, there must be at least five democratic provisions in the
constitution.”
Dr. Oluwatade listed the five clauses as Referendum CLAUSE for the public opinion/ decision on critical issues.
Secession or Exit Clause to enable any region to withdraw seamlessly from the federation, Regional Integrity Clause,
Expulsion Clause and Intervention Clause.
Dr. Oluwatade described a presidential system of government as “a Drain Pipe Democracy” and the cause of the bottomless fiscal corruption in the country, saying a non-productive country has no business running such an expensive system of government, even as he stated that the advantages of parliamentary system practice is closest to the definition of democracy.
“There is minimum courtroom appearance and the political processes of election are inexpensive, fair and smoother compared to the money bags, slave trading ballot buying, ballot box snatching presidential election.
“The second advantage of parliamentary system now is that Separatist agitations will calm down
to embrace the new dawn, and join hands and hearts together to build their respective new regions.
Dr. Oluwatade added that the parliamentary system promotes peaceful polity as the regional government helps politicians to work together in a more peaceful political climate compared to the presidential system.
The armed forces and police, he said, would experience a new lease of life as they will now focus on their professional duties and have their lost respect and professional dignity restored.