MONDAY-QUARTERBACKING: Re-Structuring
Nigeria - Towards Regionalism in the South-West and Ekiti State of Nigeria
By
Monday, May 2, 2005
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INTRODUCTION – REDUCING
ADMINISTRATIVE OVERHEAD
In a pair of previous essays, I have expressed
support for a return to a uni-cameral mixed parliamentary/presidential system,
with a limited return to regionalism, and concomitant restructuring of states
and local governments in Nigeria. The underpinnings of my support are that
for a multi-ethnic Nigeria:
1. an executive parliamentary system is
generally more accountable than the current US-type presidential system, but
that there is inherent goodness in having a nationally-elected presidential
figure, both for a feeling of one-ness and for a measure of stability. Such a
person should be chosen from a national election of candidates taken from
within the parliament, from among those who have been parliamentarians for a
minimum of two years, and who would then resign from the parliament and from
party politics forthwith.
2. the relatively small size (in terms of population and geography) of
Nigeria, as well as its economically-disadvantaged status (in terms of world
economies, despite our oil wealth). 1 federal government with bi-cameral
legislature, 36 state governments, and 774 local governments, each fully
administered in “presidential” mode are mightily too expensive, and currently
consume 70-85% of the national government expenditure. Their restructuring
and reorganization (eg groupings of states into administrative regions;
groupings of local governments areas (LGAs) into administrative divisions (LGDs);
limited number of new states and local governments created by plebiscite to
cater for ethnic and other necessities; reduction of ministerial positions)
will result in significantly less financial burden and administrative overhead
by as much as 50-60% – to within 35-50% of national budget expen diture.
3. for politically pragmatic reasons, the
concept of states and local governments, a number of which have been
hard-fought for over they years, should be preserved. However, some borders
of existing states and local governments should be adjusted and even one or
two new ones created through the democratic process of plebiscites.
The focus in this essay is on regionalism, using
as examples the South-Western zone of Nigeria as well as Ekiti State, my own
home state.
REGIONALISM IN THE SOUTH-WEST
1. Before the 1966 military incursion into
Nigeria, the whole of Western Region comprised of 16 divisions governed by
divisional officers. Even these included Ikeja, Epe and Badagry, which are
presently par of Lagos State.
2. Presently there are six states in the
South-West Zone of Nigeria – Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ekiti and Ondo. If, as
we must, we add a seventh yet-to-be-formed new state – for convenience, we
will call it Oya State (or Ooke-Oodua State) - composed from 70% (in
population) of the present Kwara State (the Igbominas, the Ekitis, and ) and
42% of the present Kogi State (the Okun People), we will have a truly
composite political zone comprised of the Yoruba people which is what would
characterize the South-West Zone Other zones will have their own distinctive
characteristic that might not be necessarily uni-ethnic, but without this
regrouping, the Yoruba in Kogi and Kwara State will have a permanent
marginalized political status both in the North-Central Zone and the Northern
scheme of things since most things “Yoruba” will naturally be assigned to the
traditional South-West zone that excludes them. Table 1 and Figure 1 (Map
of Nigeria) outline the various geographic, population and
local-administrative structure of this South-West Zone.
See also:
3. So for governance,
(i) the seven states shall be re-organized into
a South-West Region;
(ii) the present local governments should be
stepped down into local government areas (LGAs); and
(iii) those administrative areas will be next
re-organized into between 6 or 9 local government divisions (LGDs) guided by
the present three state Senatorial District boundaries (that it 2 or 3 local
governments per senatorial district.)
4. The political administration of the
South-West Region shall be centered on three bodies:
(i) The Executive Council of State Governors, with a Regional Premiership
rotated on an annual basis among governors;
(ii) A 7-person Regional Ministerial Cabinet
(One Representative per State)
(iii) A Joint Consultative Assembly (twice a
year.)
5. Each governor shall act as the Region’s
premier and Chief Executive for a period of one year, whereafter it will
rotate to another governor. Thus, there will be no need to have a Regional
election for Governor. The order of rotation shall be set once-and-for-all at
the beginning of the exercise by an open lottery with one waiver: a nod to Oya
State Governor as the starting Premier !
6. The Region’s Headquarters for that period
shall be the state capital of the sitting Premier. This removes the fear of
“return to Ibadan as capital” as has been expressed by some “hinterland”
states, eg Ekiti and Ondo States
7. Seven Regional Ministries should be created
that should not be DUPLICATED in any of the states, and will hence reduce the
number of state commissioners by seven. In the South-West, this reduces the
total number of ministries by 42 ( seven times seven – seven.) These regional
ministries might include eg Agriculture, Commerce, Education, Energy, Trade
& Industry, Transport, Works and Housing. These Regional Ministers shall
also be their various States’ Commissioners for Inter-Governmental Affairs.
8. No state shall have more than ten
“ministerial” commissioners and 2 assembly persons per division, from among
who seven shall have portfolios to shadow the regional ministers in the state
government.
9. A Joint Consultative Assembly comprising ALL
of members of the state assembly members that meets in each (rotating)
headquarters twice or thrice a year:
(i) once to approve regional budget;
(ii) to assent to certain resolutions (some
binding) that will be passed into laws by the state
assemblies. Law passed by consensus of
all state assemblies shall be called Regional Laws.
AN EXAMPLE: RE-STRUCTURING EKITI STATE
1. There are currently 3 Senatorial districts, 16 local governments and 177
wards in Ekiti State. That means 16 chairmen and 177 local government
councilors and a retinue of officers, including even “special advisors” to the
chairmen !
2. The present local governments, though
retained, should be stepped down into administrative areas; and those
administrative areas will be next re-organized into 6 local governments
divisions guided by the present three state Senatorial District boundaries.
See Figure 2 and Table 2 for how Ekiti State
Local Governments might be re-organized.
3. Instead of the current total of 193
councilors, we could stipulate for governance purpose that councilors be
elected on a non-party basis as follows:
(i) 2 elected councilors per LGA (for a total of 32);
(ii) 5 officials per local government
division LGD ie one per LGA and the rest at-large (for a total of 30);
to give a grand total of 62 local government
officials, that is one-third of the original total. In summary, for Ekiti
State, there will be 48 officials elected from all the 16 local government
areas, and 14 at-large officials elected throughout all of the 6 divisions.
(iii) One of the at-large officials will
be elected within each division as the LGD chairman. Whenever necessary, the
divisional official elected from the local government area will act as the
chairman of the local government area chairman.
EPILOGUE
Although it is the author’s opinion that the
above re-arrangement be effected in the South-Western Region, each political
zone should be accorded the federal privilege of organizing its own states and
local governments whichever way its sees fit. The only conditions are that
that the Federal Government should deal with these regions in an EQUITABLE
manner as far as financing is concerned, so that it does not matter to the
federal government how many states or local governments constitute each
region.
Comments are welcome.
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PS: To view the Figures and Maps accompanying
this essay, please visit: