Six-Year Single Term, Parliamentary Government Proposals Are Diversionary — Agbakoba
Olisa Agbakoba, former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has labeled the proposals for a six-year single-term presidency and a parliamentary system of government as absolutely diversionary.
Speaking with the Nigerian Tribune, Agbakoba argued that those advocating for these changes are avoiding the real issue, which he believes is the need for the devolution of power to strengthen the federating units.
Agbakoba pointed out that the current system remains inefficient due to the concentration of power at the central government level, which holds 98 items on the exclusive list and shares another 30 items with state governments on the concurrent list.
Drawing on the era of regionalism, Agbakoba suggested that granting more power to states would foster healthy competition and drive development across Nigeria.
“Propositions about six-year single tenure and a parliamentary form of government are absolutely diversionary. It is because people don’t want to face the truth, and the truth is devolution of power,” Agbakoba said. “Forget all this talk about a six-year single tenure; is that the problem? The problem is making the federating units viable. No one will be interested in being Nigeria’s president in the way that we kill ourselves. A six-year single tenure is not the problem. A president who has sat down there for four years, if you give him six years, is likely to be worse. The only way forward is to transfer real authority to the states.”
Agbakoba emphasized that the key to addressing Nigeria’s governance challenges lies in reallocating powers. “Just take the constitution that has 98 items of power and give to the states what belongs to the states and leave at the center what belongs to the center. Just devolve power from the center to the states. So the states would be responsible for those things that are clearly better achieved at the state level, not at the federal level.”
He cited education as an example of a sector that should be managed by the states, leaving the federal government to focus on defense policy, foreign policy, justice policy, monetary policy, banking, and overall economic policy. This redistribution of responsibilities, he argued, would reduce the intense competition for presidential power in Abuja and promote competition across the 36 states.
“Today, the federal government stifles everything. So there is no initiative. The governors have no powers under the exclusive list; that is, 68 items of power; they have no power under the 30 remaining items we call concurrent. So a governor is no more than a ceremonial chief who has money from the center, which he abuses to the neglect of his people. Why don’t you empower him so that he has no reason to come to Abuja?” Agbakoba concluded.
