The need for national political reform conference (6)

The presidential system of government

THE American form of presidential system of government currently being experimented by Nigeria is too expensive for our resources to conveniently accommodate. It is high time we faced the reality of our existence. Having regard to the history of America as stated earlier and the resources of U.S.A, the American presidential system of government is perfectly suitable for its federalism which is being operated religiously and in accordance with the tenets of their union. The same situation, background and history do not justify its application to Nigeria.

The adoption and wholesale application of American federalism and presidential system of government by Nigeria is a monumental mistake in the first place. Our erstwhile rulers who imported that system wholly and applied same willy-nilly did not do us any good at all. This is the bitter truth. America presidential system in Nigeria has been nothing but a huge failure. “We simply cannot afford 36 State Houses of Assembly, 36 Cabinets of Commissioners, large number of State Legislators, National Assembly of more than 400 Legislators, thousands of staff for all these offices, over 40 Federal Ministers and numberless staff and assistants”.

The fragmentation of Nigeria into 36 states is unhelpful. Most of the so-called states were formally local governments or provinces. Such local governments were manned by District Offices and or Assistant District Officers. The provinces were manned by Residents, supported by Chief Clerk and Clerks.

The substitution thereof of these District Offices and Residents with Governors, Deputy Governors, Legislative Houses is not unreasonable and uneconomical. The sight of these governors driving round in company of as many as 30 to 40 cars and motorcycle outriders worries the ordinary citizens who cannot afford these square meals, whose taps are dry, who cannot watch 9’0 clock news on NTA due to poor electricity supply, whose children are unemployed who finds it difficult to pay his children examination fees.What other option do we have? Do we need to spend so much money on politics? No.

Devolution of power maintaining present states with more powers and fund

There is undue concentration of power in the centre which makes the so called federal government a unitary government with the States as appendages which cannot survive without the almighty central government. The reasonable option is to cut our coat according to the cloth. By this, I am suggesting a modest examination that will give more powers to the Regions, Zones or States. The exclusive legislative list should only be limited to the following items:

– Accounts of the Government of the Federation and officers, courts and authorities thereof, including audit of those accounts.

– Archives, other than the public records of the Governments of the Region.

– Aviation, including airports safety of aircraft and ancillary transport and other services.

– Borrowing of moneys outside Nigeria for the purposes of the Federation or any Reg Borrowing of moneys within Nigeria for the purpose of the Federation.

– Census

– Citizenship

– Control of capital issues

– Copyright

– Currency, coinage and legal tender

– Customs and excise duties, including export duties

– Defence

– Deportation, compulsory removal of persons from one territory to another.

–              Designation of securities in which trust funds may be invested

– Exchange control

– External affairs

– Extradition

– Federal Prisons

– Immigration into and emigration from Nigeria

-Incorporation, regulation and winding-up of bodies corporate, other than co-operative societies, native authorities, local government authorities and bodies corporate established directly by any law enacted by the legislature of a Region.

– Insurance other than insurance undertaken by the Government of a Region but including any insurance undertaken by the government of Region that extends beyond the limits of that Region.

– Labour, Trade Unions, Industrial Relations

– Legal proceedings between the Government of the Federation and any other person or authority or between the Government of Regions.

– Legal Profession

– Maritime shipping and navigation, including- shipping and navigation on tidal waters, shipping and navigation on the River-Niger and its affluents and on any such other inland waterways as may be declared by Parliament to be an international waterway or to be an inter-Regional waterway;

–              Lighthouse, lightships, beacons and other provisions for the safety of shipping and navigation;

– Such poets as may be declared by Parliament to the Federal port (including the constitution and powers of port authorities for Federal ports).

– Marriages other than marriages under Moslem law or other customary law; annulment and dissolution of, and other matrimonial causes relating to, marriages other than marriages under Moslem law or other customary law.

– Medical Profession

– Meteorology

– Museums of the Federation

– National Monuments

– National Parks

– Naval, military and air forces

– Nuclear Energy

– Passports and visas

– Parents, trade marks, designs and merchandise marks Pensions, gratuities and other like benefits payable out of the Consolidated Revenue Fund or any other public fund of the Federation.

– Posts, telegraphs and telephones, including post office savings banks

– Powers, privileges and immunities of each House of Parliament and its members

– The public debt of the Federation

– Public relations of the Federation

– The public service of the federation, including the settlement of disputes between the Federation and officers in the public service of the Federation.

– Railways, including ancillary transport and other services

– Taxes on amount paid or payable on the sale or purchase of commodities except:-

•Produce;

•Hides and skins;

•Motor spirit

•Diesel oil sold or purchased for use in road vehicles;

– Tribunals of inquiry with respect to all or any of the matters mentioned elsewhere in this list.

– Traffic Federal Trunk Road

– Trunk roads, that is to say, the construction, alteration and maintenance of such roads as may be declared by Parliament to be Federal trunk roads.

– Water from such sources as may be declared by Parliament to be sources affecting more than one territory

– Weights and measures.

– Wireless, broadcasting and television other than broadcasting and television provided by the Government of a Region, allocation of wavelengths for wireless, broadcasting and television transmission.

– Any matter that is incidental or supplementary –

– To any mentioned elsewhere in this list; or

-To the discharge by the Government of the Federation or any officer, court or authority of the Federation of any function conferred by the Constitution. (To be continued…..)

AARE AFE BABALOLA, OFR, CON, SAN, LL.D (Lond.)