President Tinubu gets bill on regional govt next week

A bill seeking a return to a regional system of government for Nigeria will be transmitted to President Bola Tinubu next week, Saturday PUNCH has exclusively gathered.

Recall that the House of Representatives last week disowned the draft bill which circulated widely on the internet.

Titled, ‘A Bill for an Act to substitute the annexure to Decree 24 of 1999 with new governance model for the Federal Republic of Nigeria’, the bill seeks among others, new extant laws to be cited as “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria New Governance Model for Nigeria Act 2024.”

The preliminaries of the bill read in part, “Whereas Nigeria, its peoples and government have been governed under Decree 24 of 1999 that was handed down by the then military government without the express consent of the people despite the preamble of ‘We, the people.’

“Whereas the said Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) is not autochthonous as it does not evolve from the deliberations and consensus of the Nigerian People; whereas the peoples of Nigeria now desire and effectively demand for a change to a constitution based on federal/regional system of government.

“Whereas the federal and regional governments are to operate within the provisions of this Constitution, it is within the discretion of the ethnic blocs within the states that constitutes a given region to aggregate or disaggregate as provinces, divisions and districts, while being in control of their affairs without let or hindrance at whatever level of governance.”

Following enquiries, the House disowned the bill as the duo of the House spokesman, Akin Rotimi and the Chairman, Rules and Business, Francis Waive said the proposed legislationl was not before committee for deliberation.

However, the drafter of the private bill, Dr Akin Fapohunda, who had earlier hinted our correspondent of his intent to interface with members of the National Assembly ahead of the transmission of the bill to the parliament, on Friday, said he had chosen to send the proposed law to President Tinubu, who may in turn present same to the parliament as executive bill.