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Tag: Restructuring

  • Why I support restructuring – Dogara

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has expressed support for auditing and restructuring the existing federal system to give a sense of belonging to all Nigerians.

    He said that for true federalism to be achieved in Nigeria, a unique system of federalism that best suits Nigerian people and the local circumstances in the country must be created, in addition to having leaders who are visionary, selfless, prudent, intelligent and indefatigable and having integrity and honour.

    He said these while speaking on the topic, “Reforming the Nigerian Federation: Which Way Forward”, at the 3rd annual Political Summit organised by the Save Democracy Africa in Abuja.

    The Speaker noted that, “The talk of Nigeria’s success or genuine federalism can no longer hold waters giving the state of internal insurgencies, divisiveness, ethnic and religious schism witnessed in several parts of Nigeria. Efforts at wishing away the problem associated with Nigerian federation have only resulted into several tribal, ethnic and religious movements that have even metamorphosed into terrorist syndicates.

    “One can, therefore, no longer fold his arms but engage some of the issues that have confronted us as a nation and threatened the Nigerian federation. This forum provides one of the opportunities for such interrogation. Accordingly, I commend the organisers for bringing this issue to the front burner once again.

    “That Nigeria could survive despite predictions to the contrary by the World Powers not only portrays a ray of hope but also demonstrate that Nigerian Federation has come to stay.

    “It is therefore incumbent on us to fashion out our own type of federalism that is best suited to our people and to local circumstances. There should be genuine efforts to build the nation. Therefore ethnic, religious and sectional agenda should take back place. The essence of federalism is to foster unity and development. This has however, not been achieved.

    Consequently, the recruitment processes of our elective office holders are being re-visited in the Electoral Amendment Bill to ensure that the system is able to recruit the best at all strata of leadership. We need leaders who are visionary, selfless, prudent, intelligent and indefatigable and having integrity and honour.”

    He added that the current National Assembly has shown enough determination to ensure that the federation of Nigeria is managed effectively for the good of every citizen in its several initiatives to address imbalances.

    He also added that to take Nigeria to its pride of place, a reorientation of Nigerians to address the political and economic malaise they face must be addressed, along with every other possible measure to take Nigeria to where it rightly belongs among the comity of Nations given her huge and rich minerals and agricultural resources, and population.

    Hon Dogara stated, “There should be massive awareness to change the mindsets of the rulers and the ruled. This is where there is the need for proper education and awareness for both the rulers and the ruled. I challenge our tertiary institutions to break the disconnect between them and the political institutions and industries not only to fashion out the appropriate curriculum to drive this new orientation to confront our political and economic malaise but also to lead cutting edge research in providing correct local solutions to our diverse of problems.”

    He also identified the pedestals upon which Nigerian Federation has thrived over the years as multi-party system that allows wider participation in the political process, equity distributive principles of revenue from the Federation Account, states creation, special intervention programme to address specific problems where there are genuine cases of imbalance, marginalisation and injustice such as NDDC and NEDC, growing synergy and improved communication between the National Assembly and the Executive, the judiciary, practice of federal character in the composition and conduct of public institutions at state and federal levels.

    The speaker also identified some emerging issues in Nigeria’s federation political gerrymandering, corruption and nepotism, state creation and boundary delimitation, electoral boundary manipulation that discriminates against voters on account of tribe, language, religion, or related status.

    “The same is also true of boundary adjustments, state creation and Local Governments in Nigeria. The minority tribes have complained of being short-changed. The issue of fiscal federalism and resource control. The allocation of revenue in Nigeria is presently heated as there are always allegations and counter-allegations of manipulations against the federal government by states. There are also allegations of zero allocation to local governments by states despite very clear constitutional provisions. In addition, there has been complaint of total neglect of the states that generate the revenue as such the derivative formula has been very contentious. There is over concentration of powers and responsibilities on the federal government. There are several responsibilities that can better be handled by the states. The power sharing between the Federal Government and the states will have to be revisited and the issue of the autonomy of local governments in Nigeria which state Houses of Assembly keep voting against,” he further stated.

    Hon Dogara, therefore, stressed the need to fashion out our own type of federalism that is best suited to our people and to local circumstances, with genuine efforts to build the nation, the need for proper education and awareness for both the rulers and the ruled, awareness and re-orientation on the issue of political gerrymandering, and vesting the responsibility of delineating constituencies to the Boundary Commission as is the case in several countries like Britain.

    He added, “The issue of resource control must be properly addressed. The communities where those resources are found should be adequately compensated. The Host Community Bill initiated by the House of Representatives on the Oil and Gas industry will be a test case. The call for resource control may by implication have a semblance of territorial devolution.”

    The speaker noted that since assumption of the 8th House of Representatives, they have engaged the executive (mostly ministers and heads of parastatals) in several sectoral debates at plenary and have enacted cutting edge legislations in emerging, reviewed over 300 laws with the hope of bringing them in tune with modern realities and has been guided by the need to adjust our political, social and economic system to meet local circumstances and engraft the existing laws to conform.

     

  • Northern governors meet over security challenges, restructuring

    The Northern State Governors Forum on Thursday began a meeting in Kaduna to discuss various security challenges in the region and the issue of restructuring.

    The chairman of the Forum, Gov. Kashim Shettima of Borno, said at the opening of the meeting that as elected representatives of the people, the governors must dispassionately address the crisis bedevilling the region.

    He said that it would be of great disservice to the people, if the crisis were politicised or given religious or tribal colorations.

    “As elected leaders, it is our primary responsibility to take a hard and critical look at these conflicts and come up with implementable ways and means of addressing them squarely.

    “It is also critically important, as a long term measure, devise viable strategies to forestall all forms of security challenges that may likely erupt in the future.

    “However, I need to emphasise that whatever resolutions we may arrive at, should be without prejudice to the various commendable and comprehensive measures being put in place by the Federal Government in addressing the security challenges; especially the recent abduction of the Dapchi School Girls.

    “We appreciate and commend the efforts being made by President Muhammadu Buhari in the Dapchi crisis by ensuring the deployment of all necessary security personnel and equipment towards the rescue of the abducted girls.”

    He added that, “there is need to pay particular attention to the root causes of such conflicts and their seemingly intractable nature with an open mind and from an unbiased perspective, in order to arrive at comprehensive means of addressing them.

    “We should, in the process, also avoid imputing political, ethnic or religious colorations to the conflicts.’’

    The NGF chairman disclosed that the meeting would also receive the report of its committee on the restructuring of the country headed by Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State.

    “We may recall that the concept of restructuring, at the initial stage, had taken various dimensions which included resource control, regionalism and geo-political divisions among others.

    “So it was imperative that the North as a region like other regions of the Federation should have a common position on the issue; hence the establishment of the committee,” he said.

     

    NAN

  • Let’s embrace APC’s restructuring for good of country, By Ehichioya Ezomon

    By Ehichioya Ezomon

     

    We learn in the Holy Books (John 1:45-46) that when Philip, one of the newly-recruited disciples of Jesus, met Nathanael, he told him, “We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” And Nathanael asked, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” Philip answered, “Come and see.”

    The above biblical reference illuminates the background to the August 2017 empaneling of the “Committee on True Federalism” by the All Progressives Congress, which hitherto demonstrated a lukewarm attitude to or simulated ignorance about the importance of and necessity for restructuring of the country.

    Mid 2017, the APC and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party tangled over the matter. Buffeted from all sides, the APC Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, reportedly asked: “What’s restructuring? I don’t know the meaning of restructuring.”

    While Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State vociferously dismissed the issue as being purveyed by “those who are out of power,” and President Muhammadu Buhari would rather canvass “attitudinal change and reorientation,” it appeared restructuring and its adjuncts were never mooted and/or promised by the APC pre-2015 elections.

    Thus, the PDP stepped on the throttle, accusing the APC of abandoning the core elements of its Manifesto, and pledging that if voted into power in 2019, it (PDP) would restructure the country. Sensing it was about to lose the debate, the APC retorted it was for “true federalism and devolution of power” – interestingly, two items central to the “forbidden” word: restructuring.

    Subsequently, the party set up the Governor el-Rufai-headed committee, with many watchers of the polity alleging it was a smokescreen by the APC to buy time, while others cast doubts on its ability to do a feasible job owing to its headship by an “anti-restructuring crusader.”

    But to connect that biblical passage, not only did something good come out of the APC committee, but it also trod where angels feared to walk, by suggesting the control of all mineral resources, including oil and gas, by states where the minerals are located.

    However, instead of saluting the report and the wisdom that informed it, critics forgot so soon, and deliberately picked and chose, and induced selective amnesia about the restructuring committee: why and how it came about, and its terms of reference.

    Three classes of critics emerged, with one declaring that the APC hurriedly put a committee together to cobble the report aftermath of the explosive and damning letter written by former President Olusegun Obasanjo to President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The second group said the report was self-serving, aimed at garnering supports for the APC ahead of the 2019 elections; and the third class of critics alleged that the report was nothing but a seriatim of the 2014 National Conference outcome.

    The first arm of the critics’ argument: that the committee and its report were goaded by the Obasanjo letter is preposterous as it’s absurd. How could a committee of that magnitude and mandate be put together, and in a few days went round the country, engaged over 8,000 persons in the process of its research, and collated and wrote a report in four volumes just because of an Obasanjo letter?

    Secondly, weren’t those soliciting restructuring used it as bait for the 2019 general elections: that the people should vote for only the candidate(s) and party that preaches, and “is very serious” about restructuring of the country? So, what is wrong if the APC hitches a ride in the wagon, to enhance its electoral chances in 2019?

    And thirdly, why won’t the proponents of the adoption of the 2014 National Conference report rejoice that “about 80 per cent of the recommendations of the APC committee” was lifted from that report? After all, that was the source of their beef with the APC-led Buhari government: its alleged refusal to adopt and send the report to the National Assembly for consideration and implementation.

    It’s about time we put aside our differences and embrace the APC restructuring proposals that more or less cover the most contentious matters, which have plagued the polity even before Nigeria’s Independence in 1960.

    As enjoined by Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State, elder statesmen, Tanko Yakassai (previously opposed) and Chief Edwin Kiagbodo Clark, and other persons and groups, let’s see the APC recommendations as pan-Nigerian. Picking holes in and holding out on the report will not serve the decades-old yearnings of Nigerians.

    Why concern ourselves with how much of the 2014 National Conference recommendations was included in the APC committee report, rather than how to put the party, the Presidency and the National Assembly’s feet to the fire, for a quick and thorough implementation of the propositions, so they would not be kept in abeyance, like those of 2014, till after the 2019 polls.

    As advocated by those that have set politics aside and endorsed the approvals, and for the love of country, and solutions to the myriad of problems facing Nigeria, we should obligate the Buhari administration to execute the report before the 2019 elections.

    Assuredly, Chief Odigie-Oyegun, the APC chair, perhaps realizing the party has been thrown a lifeline by the committee’s report, has pledged all-inclusive inputs and expeditious completion. We should escort the APC to the finish line.

     

    * Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

  • 22 political parties raise committees on security, restructuring, 2019 polls

    22 political parties raise committees on security, restructuring, 2019 polls

    Twenty-two political parties, under the umbrella of Committee of Concerned Political Parties (CCPP) have constituted six committees on security, restructuring and 2019 general elections.

    Interim Chairman of CCPP, Dr Onwubuya Breakforth, made this known to newsmen on Friday in Abuja.

    Breakforth, who is the National Chairman of Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), said that the group was concerned about boiling national issues, including killings by herdsmen and restructuring.

    He said that the group was committed to contributing its quota towards addressing them.

    The sub-committees, according to Breakforth, are on restructuring Nigeria and inter-governmental affairs; national security and integration, and planning and finance.

    Others are on contact and mobilisation, and on research and documentation.

    He added that the committees would commence action and make recommendations on before the unveiling of the group in a few weeks.

    “The CCPP also resolved to jointly discuss and proffer solutions to key national issues threatening the peace and unity of our dear country.

    “It was further resolved that various options open to the group in relation to the 2019 general elections would be explored in the best interest of the country,” he said.

    Breakforth said that the group had agreed to form a three-member steering committee to pilot its affairs.

    He added that additional sub-committees were formed to articulate overall objectives for the group and other on topical national issues.

    The chairman disclosed that while 22 political parties were present at the meeting, nine others had indicated interest to join the group.

    He listed some of the political parties represented at the meeting as Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), Sustainable National Party (SNP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) and Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).

    It also included Grassroots Development Party of Nigeria (GDPN) and National People’s Congress (NPC).

  • Implement your party’s restructuring report before 2019 elections, Dickson tells Buhari

    Implement your party’s restructuring report before 2019 elections, Dickson tells Buhari

    Governor Sariake Dickson of Bayelsa, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to constitute a multiparty committee to consider the All Progressives Congress (APC) Restructuring Committee’s report .

    Dickson made the call on Friday in Abuja, while addressing newsmen on the recommendations of the APC’s Committee report on Restructuring led by Gov. Nasir El Rufai òf Kaduna State.

    He called on the president to use his office to ensure that the recommendations were treated as a matter of urgent national importance.

    Dickson said that implementation of the recommendations would resolve various agitations and strengthen the nation’s unity.

    He called on the leadership of the APC to ensure implementation of recommendations of the report before the 2019 General elections, saying it was possible if the party had the will.

    “If we are sincere about the injustices, and inequities, then I call for a multiparty committee to deal with the final details on the issues of state police, the judiciary and the control of land.

    “We need a multi party committee to discuss and agree and work on draft legislation bills that will be jointly sponsored at the National Assembly.

    “We should not take the report as final product in itself, but we should not also throw it away.

    “All of us need to mobilise national consensus to engage the National Assembly, so that we can drive all these issues before the next election. That is the test of sincerity’’.

    Dickson promised that he would intensify consultations across party lines to work toward the actualisation of the desired implementation of the report.

    He added that he was ready to partner with other leaders on the critical issue of restructuring which could only become a reality when the National Assembly had passed it into the law.

    He commended the APC for coming up with the recommendations, which he said were fundamental to all approaches to the burning issue of restructuring in the best interest of the country.

    “The recommendations of the committee make a lot of sense. I support them and we are ready to partner with them.

    “While it is true that we are dealing with a proposal, this is coming from an unexpected quarters.

    “In the light of the opposition to structuring from some leaders, I thought what the APC did was unexpected.

    “Let me start by commending the committee and the leadership of that party for making what I will call the most fundamental proposal of dealing with the issue of restructuring.

    “When I see what is right, I commend it; when I see what is in the best interest of our country, I commend it because I am a politician driven by conviction, not convenience.

    “With the kind of proposals that they have done, I thought I should appreciate their patriotism and commitment to building an equitable and prosperous Nigeria.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that El Rufai-led Committee had on Thursday in Abuja submitted its report to the leadership of the APC.

    NAN also reports that the committee among others recommended state ownership of onshore mineral resources including oil, as well as state control of police and prisons.

    Dickson, who is also the Chairman, PDP Reconciliation Committee, said the committee’s reconciliation efforts with aggrieved members were yielding positive results.

    He said that the committee would continue to discuss with party members, saying people were key in the existence of any political parties.

    NAN

     

  • Restructuring: El-Rufai led committee presents report, recommends establishment of state police, resource control, others

    The Governor Nasir El-Rufai led committee on restructuring on Thursday presented its report to the National Chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun with some recommendations aimed at making the states and local governments more independent.

    Some of the key recommendations are resource control, making local government an affair of states, constitutional amendment to allow merger of states, state police, state court of appeal and independent candidacy.

    The committee was set up in August 2017 to formulate the position of the party on restructuring which was clamoured for by most influential Nigerians.

    The committee initially had 10 members but this was later expanded to 23 members.

    According to its mandate, the committee was to distill the true intent and definition of true federalism as promised by the party during the last electioneering campaign, and to take a studied look on the report of the various national conferences, especially that of 2014; and come up with recommendations.

    Submitting the report at the party’s secretariat, Mr. El-Rufai said 8,014 people were engaged in the process of their research and that Nigerians indicated interest in 24 issues.

    Out of these 24 items, the committee made recommendation on 13 in its report, which has four volumes.

    “After four months of rigorous research, we are pleased to inform the chairman we have completed our assignment and are here to present our report. Our report is in four volumes,” the committee chairman said.

    “The report is in four volumes with Volume One containing background information of the research and recommendations; Volume Two, Action plans from the research to implement its resolution and draft of bills; Volume 3, Media reports and the result of the online survey of the issue; and Volume Four, the appendix- summary of all memoranda received.

    “I’ll like to highlight some principal recommendation by the committee. We articulated 14 issues re-occuring in previous conferences.

    “At the end of our rigorous research, debates and deliberations, we came up with 24 items that Nigerians have indicated interest views that balance our federation.

    “These items are; creation of states, merger of states, delegation principle, fiscal federalism, devolution of power and resources between state, federal and local governments, federating units, form of government, independent candidacy, land tenure system, local government autonomy ,power sharing and rotation, resource control, types of legislature, demand for affirmation for vulnerable groups;people with disabilities, women and youth, ministerial appointment, citizenship, state constitution, community participation, minimum wage, governance, judiciary, state re-alignment and border adjustment, circular status of the federation; and referendum.

    “We articulated only 13 issues from the various opinions expressed by Nigerians in our engagement, identified these 24 issues for which the committee deliberated and has made recommendations in the report.

    “We went ahead to look at these recommendations to convert them into concrete actions that the party, government and the national assembly can take to re-balance our federation.

    These items are:

    Merger of states

    “The first item that we thought needed legislative action is merger of states because creation of states is already in the Constitution; so there is a procedure, so there was no action needed.

    “However, it is appropriate to point out, Mr. Chairman, that only 36 percent of Nigerians want more states created. so majority of Nigerians don’t want creation of states.”

    “So, the first recommendation for which we have proposed a draft bill for constitution amendment is the merger of states. Though there was no consensus from stakeholders on the merger of states, we felt that we should propose a bill that allows state to merge and it is up to the party, the National Assembly and the people of Nigeria to decide on that. But we drafted a bill that is there for the party and the government to move on with.

    Delegation principle

    “The second that we have considered is the delegation principle. Here, it is recommended that the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission Act be amended to vest the commission with the power and responsibility to periodically review the delegation formula and make proposal to the President who shall then table the said before the National Assembly for legislation.

    “We have therefore drafted a bill that will expand section six sub section one of the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission act to give them that power. The bill is in Volume 2 of our report.

    Fiscal federalism

    “We also have recommendation on fiscal federalism and revenue allocation in which we propose amending section 162 and sub-section two of the Constitution; as well as amend the revenue allocation of revenue Federation Account Act to give more revenue to the states and reduce the federal government’s share of revenue.

    “This again is what we got as feedback from majority of Nigerians that the state should get more revenue and the federal government should slim down a little.

    Devolution of power

    “This recommendation, has to do with the devolution of powers. There was overwhelming popular demand for the devolution of power to the states by the federal government, and the committee recommends the same.

    “Accordingly, we have proposed that the Second Schedule of Part One and Part Two of the Constitution should be amended to transfer some items that are now on the Exclusive List to the Concurrent List that will enable both then states and the federal government to legislate on them.

    “Under devolution of power, there are items that were recommended to be moved from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent.

    Here are the items:

    ” 10 items have been identified for the movement from the Executive List to the Concurrent List.

    – Food and Drugs

    “Food, drugs, poison, narcotics and psychotropic substances. We are proposing an amendment to the Constitution for the president to keep narcotics and psychotropic should be left on the Exclusive List while food drug and poison should be moved to Concurrent List so that state can legislate on these items in addition to the federal government. At the moment only the federal government can legislate on them.

    – Fingerprint identification of criminals

    “The second item is finger print and identification of criminal records. This is currently on the Exclusive List. The committee for feedback received from Nigerians recommendations that they should be moved to the Concurrent List.”

    -Registration of business names

    “The third item is registration of business names. Registration of business names for firms that want to operate throughout Nigeria should be done at the federal level. For small businesses that wan to work exclusively within the state, they should be registerable at the level of the state. we recommend that that should be moved to the Concurrent List as well.”

    -Labour matters

    “We have also recommended that labour matters should be moved to the Concurrent List such that the federal government and the sate can legislate on these matters. Labour, including trade unions, industrial relations, safety and well-being of labour, industrial disputes and prescribing minimal wage and industrial arbitration should be in the state. Meaning every state can determine its minimum wage.”

    – Mines and minerals.

    “The fifth item is mines and minerals, including oil fields, oil mining, geological and natural gas. This should be moved to the Concurrent List. However, all offshore oil shall remain absolutely vested in the government of the federation.

    “I think it is time to take these bold steps and move away from over-centralisation.

    -The police.

    “Item six, police. We have also moved to the Concurrent List. We are recommending that police should be both federal and state.”

    -Prisons.

    “We have also recommended that prisons should be moved from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent List, where we can have federal prisons and state prisons. This will make more prisons available and reduce the burden of the federal government.”

    -Public holiday

    ” Item eight is public holiday. We want public holiday to be moved from the Exclusive List to the Concurrent List so that there will be federal public holidays and state public holidays. This is already happening unconstitutionally. This will just make the action of state governments lawful and legal and avoid confrontation from the federal government.

    -Stamp duties

    “Finally, we are recommending that stamp duties, legislation on stamp duties should be moved to the Concurrent List. The state will only legislate on stamp duties only for transactions involving individual s and business needs but not limited liabilities that are incorporated in the government of the federation.

    “We believe that if these amenddment are passed by the National Assembly, they will significantly re- balance our federation, devolve more powers to the states, reduce the burden of the federal government and make our country work better.

    “We have taken into consideration reports of all constitutional conferences and put this before Nigerians in 2017 and this is the feedback that we got, and we drafted the bill that will enable that to be passed by the National Assembly and the state Houses of Assembly.”

    Independent candidacy

    “The next recommendation is on independent candidacy. The committee knows that majority of respondents are opposed, surprisingly to independent candidacy. However, the committee still recommends that the party should support the demand for widening the political space by allowing for independent candidates. We believe that this will make the political party more honest.

    “We have included in the bill that no one that wants to run as an independent candidate should be a member of any political party six months to the election. We have put enough safeguards in our recommendation to ensure that independent candidacy is not a platform for opportunism.

    “We have put four safeguards. One; anybody that wants to stand for elective positions as an independent candidate, should not be a registered member of any political party at least six months before the date set for the election for which he intends to contest.

    “Number two, his nominators will not be members of any registered political party. Three; independent candidate must pay an amount to INEC in the same range as the non refundable fees payable by candidates sponsored by political parties to their parties. So instead of paying to the parties, you now pay to INEC.

    “Finally, the candidate must also meet all qualification requirements by the Constitution or any other, which is better than the independent candidate amendment.

    Local government

    “The next recommendation has to do with local government autonomy.

    There are divergent opinions on this. We recommend that the current system of local government administration as provided by the Constitution to be amended and the state be allowed to enact laws to local government that is peculiar to each of them.

    “We propose amendments to sections 7,8,162 of the First Schedule and Fourth Schedule of the Constitution to give effect to our recommendation.”

    “We are by this recognising the federal government which can only be two tiers of government. Having three tiers of government is an arbitration, there is nowhere in the world where our research has shown us there are three tiers of government.”

    Revenue allocation

    “We have also proposed amending Section One of the Allocation of Revenue Federation Act to reflect this reality. We have also proposed amendment to section 40 to the Value Added Tax Act. They are in Volume Two.

    “There is the question of what people call resource control. The committee noted the growing agitation by states to exercise control over natural resources within their respective territories and pay taxes and royalties to the federal government. If this recommendation is taken, then there will consequential amendment.

    Citizenship.

    “The issue of citizenship has been addressed by our report.’

    Ministerial appointment.

    “Arising from this is the issues of ministerial appointment. The president should have the freedom to nominate ministers from any part of the country, subject to confirmation by the Senate.

    Judiciary

    “There are also recommendations on the judiciary. the National Judicial Council as the single judicial in Nigeria is operating a unitary judicial system in a federal system. So we have proposed amendment to the Constitution to create a state judicial council that will appoint an discipline judges in a state while the National Judicial Council will exercise control over the appointments, discipline of judges of the federal government only. By that, we have proposed the creation of a state court of appeal.”

    State re-alignment and boundary adjustment

    “We have proposed constitutional amendments on state re-alignment and boundary adjustment to section A sub-section 2 and A sub-section a 4 if required .”

    Referendum

    “We have a constitutional amendment to enable a referendum to be undertaken on national issues. Right now, our constitution has no provision for referendum except in the creation of states.”

    The chairman of the committee concluded by thanking the APC Chairman for properly choosing the member of the committee and also appreciating the members of the committee responsible for the recommendation.

    Mr. Oyegun who received the report, praised the committee for a job well done and promised that the report would be considered and a decision made before the middle of February.

    “Today, we have a report produced by some of the most intelligent, young Nigerians dealing with the most fundamental challenges.

    “The concept is accepted, the need for it is accepted but what exactly do we mean. are we talking on a federation based on eight zones, six zones or what?.

    “From the presentation of the chairman of this committee, everyone now has an idea of what the APC stands for when you say true federalism.”

    “It is still going to go through the mill but what I will promise you, Mr. Chairman and members of the committee, for you hard work that you have put in for four to five months, is that this report is going to get expeditious consideration by the party.”

    “I am going to promise that before the middle of February, it would have been considered and decided upon by the various structures of the party.

    “The NEC and the Caucus of the party and whatever is there after will be presented to the authorities as the considered view and decision of the APC for appropriate implementation.”

  • Handshake across the Niger: IPOB members disrupt summit, reject calls for restructuring

    Members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, on Thursday disrupted the cool at the ‘Handshake Across the Niger’ summit held in Enugu.

    The summit, which had earlier progressed without hitch, witnessed an uproar as soon as the President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo harped on restructuring.

    Nwodo’s demand for restructuring was greeted with loud disenchanted voices from the pro-Biafra agitators.

    The Ohanaeze President while recognizing their freedom of expression in a democracy, said such must be done in a civilized manner.

    This is as an array of Biafra apologists, who had stormed the summit in their numbers, disrupted his speech with a shout of “No, No, we want Biafra not restructuring; IPOB are not terrorists, herdsmen are terrorists; Nnamdi Kanu we know, who are you?”

    The women among the pro-Biafra agitators, to the shock of guests, pulled off their top wears, leaving only brazier, as a way of driving home their point.
    It took several minutes for the organizers to calm them down, with an assurance that they would be allowed to present their case formally to the summit.

    Chairman of the local organizing committee of the summit, Chief Ifeanyi Ubah, former aviation minister, Femi Fani-Kayode and several others moved straight to the area where the IPOB members were seated and made efforts to pacify them.

    Ubah, who later apologized to the guests over the uproar, ‎appealed to the IPOB members to remain calm as one of them would be invited to make a presentation.

    They continued pro-Nnamdi Kanu chants outside the venue, while insisting that they would not accept anything as alternative to Biafra.

  • I’m disappointed at Buhari for rejecting restructuring – Clark

    I’m disappointed at Buhari for rejecting restructuring – Clark

    Elder statesman and prominent Ijaw leader, Chief Edwin Clark, has expressed displeasure at President Muhammadu Buhari’s stance on restructuring.

    Clark explained that the President’s position on restructuring the country is opposed to the the popular aspiration of Nigerians.

    Clark spoke on Thursday in his Kiagbodo country home in Burutu, Delta State while receiving a delegation from the palace of the Olu of Warri, His Majesty, Ogiame Ikenwoli, ed by Prince Toritseju Emiko.

    The Ijaw leader expressed disappointment in the president’s New Year message, which, he said, failed to address the most pressing issues to Nigerians.

    According to him, only restructuring would end the system where some Nigerians are treated as second class citizens, urging the president to stop sticking to an unpopular opinion.

    He said: “Mr. President was not addressing Nigerians. The New Year speech is supposed to be an address to the people, telling them what you have done or the ones you have been doing. The current discussion in Nigeria today is restructuring.

    “The Afenifere, governors and others are all discussing restructuring. The people of the Southsouth are the most affected. 87 per cent of our revenue comes from the Southsouth. Nigerians believe in restructuring. I was very much disappointed that the President said he does not want restructuring.

    “Northerners are talking of restructuring; you have heard the Sultan of Sokoto, Balarabe Musa all of them are part of the majority of Nigerians talking about restructuring. El- Rufai heads APC committee on restructuring. Even the northerners have not rejected restructuring.

    “The National Assembly has no choice but must follow the people, what the people are saying if majority of Nigerians say they want restructuring the National Assembly has no choice. Nigeria must solve the structural problem in the country where only some ethnic groups can be governors in a state where there are others; where some regions have more states and local governments than others. If we don’t restructure Nigeria some people will be treated as second class citizens.”

    Clark commended the Olu of Warri for strengthening ethnic harmony among ethnic nationalities in Delta State.

    The Ijaw leader, who said his great grant father’s mother was from an Itsekiri community known as Ugbokodo, urged the tribes in Warri to live in unity.

  • Balarabe Musa tackles Buhari, insists Nigeria needs restructuring

    Balarabe Musa tackles Buhari, insists Nigeria needs restructuring

    A former governor of Kaduna State, Balarabe Musa, has called for economic restructuring to ensure the delivery of good governance in the country.

    Mr. Musa made the call in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Monday following President Muhammadu Buhari’s New Year broadcast.

    The president had in the speech said that the problem with Nigeria was not the structure but the process of doing things.

    Mr. Buhari argued that the country had tried many political systems in the past and had dumped them because they failed.

    He explained that if things were done properly by all citizens, the country would perform better.

    But, former Gov. Musa said the problem with Nigeria has always been leadership rather than structures, explaining that regional system failed because leaders were pursuing secessionist agenda.

    Although he aligned with President Buhari’s position that the process of governance needs to be improved upon, he faulted the economic system being operated currently.

    Mr. Musa said the economy was in the hands of the private sector, hence the impoverishment of the masses, and suggested the restructuring of the economy to ensure that the government plays a greater role.

    “The economy should be restructured. What we are operating now in which the economy is in private hands cannot help us.

    “We should restructure the economy so that government can play a greater role for sustainable development,” he said.

    The former governor agreed that saboteurs were behind the current fuel crisis and urged the government to address the situation.

    He also called on Mr. Buhari to form a government of national unity in the New Year for all-inclusiveness, adding that Nigeria would be better in the New Year if people subordinate personal interests to public interests.

    In his reaction, the publicity secretary of Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Lagos State, Shakirudeen Olofin, commended the president for restating commitment to the fight against corruption.

    He, however, advised that the president should ensure that all pending cases on corruption were speedily resolved to serve as deterrent to others.

    Mr. Olofin urged Mr. Buhari to be decisive in dealing with the fuel crisis, especially persons suspected to be responsible for the situation.

    NAN

  • Nigeria’s problem beyond restructuring – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday in his new message said Nigeria’s challenges are beyond calls for restructuring as demanded in some quarters.

    “When all the aggregates of nationwide opinions are considered, my firm view is that our problems are more to do with process than structure,” the president said.

    “No human law or edifice is perfect,” Buhari insisted in his new Nigeria message to Nigerians which lasted for almost 20 minutes.

    The president said Nigeria should continue to operate its current presidential system, but welcomed ideas on how to make it less permeable to extravagance, waste and corruption largely.

    “There is a strong case for a closer look at the cost of government and for the public services long used to extravagance, waste and corruption to change for the better.

    “I assure you that government is ever receptive to ideas which will improve governance and contribute to the country’s peace and stability,” he said in the address, which is his first to the nation since August 21, 2017 when he returned from his medical vacation in London.

    The president urged Nigerians to be patient with the current presidential system and allow it to evolve until it becomes suitable enough to accommodate the country’s peculiarities.