Saturday July 12, 2025
By TheNewsDESK |
Constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Prof Mike Ozekhome, has criticised the existing presidential system modelled after the United States, describing it as “too costly” and “unsustainable.”
“A parliamentary system is less expensive but more effective. Under that system, it is the political party that campaigns, not individuals needing trillions in 2027 to contest as president or governor,” Ozekhome said on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Friday, July 11.
The senior lawyer advocated for a return to the parliamentary system practised before 1966, with regional governments controlling their resources and security.
“It brings more money to the table, it creates jobs, and most importantly, it helps security. Once people control their local security and resources, insecurity will vanish. It’s not rocket science,” he added.
He further compared the current reform efforts to patching cracks on a collapsing structure rather than rebuilding it from the foundation.
“Don’t invite someone to patch the cracks. You tear it down and build afresh,” he said.
The SAN said a decentralised system would enable each region to legislate independently, attract investments, build infrastructure, and operate local policing aligned with cultural realities.
Ozekhome also criticised entrenched interests in central political power that resist restructuring for fear of losing control.
“They will say, ‘No restructuring, no local government autonomy,’ because the power rests at the centre. This greed for central power is killing the country,” he said.
According to him, even in a restructured Nigeria with regional constitutions, national unity can still be maintained through equal representation in a parliamentary system.
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