The former Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Attahiru Jega has called for the restructuring of Nigeria before the 2027 general elections.
The former INEC boss insisted that the presidential system of government practised in Nigeria is defective.
He said power devolution to the sub-nationals was critical for the country to develop, adding that the president is too powerful.
Jega, however, expressed strong opposition to the parliamentary system of government, saying restructuring was necessary to have the best of a federal system.
He shared his reservation while speaking on Saturday at the convocation lecture in Bauchi State University, Gadau, on the theme, ‘Safeguarding Nigeria’s future: Prioritising citizen’s welfare and security amidst challenges’.
According to him, “Our leaders in leadership positions, between now and 2027, we need to put our heads together and have a rational, evidence-based process of restructuring the Nigerian federation, and to my mind, the major thing we need to do is devolve power and resources from the federal to the state and local governments.
“Even if all we do is go back to the way power was distributed in the 1963 Constitution, we should do that but I think we should even go beyond that because we need to reduce the power of the Federal Government. In fact, the power of the Federal Government, in which whoever is elected president controls virtually all the resources, beheads the reality.
“There is fear that if more resources go to the states and local governments, given what we see in Nigeria now, many people are afraid that it cannot solve the problems, but my own thinking is that the more power and resources in the state and local governments the less attractive the federal becomes. Then, more people will concentrate in terms of bringing appropriate reforms and development. It is very important we truly address these issues.”
