President Bola Tinubu will, on Friday, receive a draft bill proposition a return to a regional system of government for Nigeria.
The proposed legislation, authored by Akin Fapohunda, a chieftain of the Yoruba socio-cultural association, Afenifere, and the Coalition of Indigenous Ethnic Nationalities (CIEN), seeks to replace the current federal system with a two-tier government structure comprising federal and regional governments.
According to Fapohunda, the bill, 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,” aims to address the country’s political and economic challenges by decentralizing power and promoting regional autonomy.
He told journalist on Thursday, that the bill would be transmitted to the President on Friday, explaining that the association wants the division of the country into eight geo-political regions with approximate interim boundaries.
The proposed regions according to Fapohunda, include the southern region comprising of Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, and Cross Rivers States and “Optional inclusions of the Annang, Effik, Ekoi, Ibibio, Oro Ohaji/Egbema in Southern Imo, the Adonia, Efemia, Ijaw, Ogoni, Bini, Ishan, Isoko, Urhobo and the Ijaw-speaking people in Northern Ondo State with land contiguity.
“The South Eastern region consists of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. The Western region comprises Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, and Ekiti States, incorporating the Yoruba-speaking people in Kogi and the Igbomina people in Kwara State”.
“Additional options would be the Itsekiri people of Delta State and Akoko-Edo people of Edo State to make their respective choices. Others include the Mid-Western Region Made up of Edo and Delta States, possibly incorporating the Anioma people and the Eastern Middle Belt Region comprising Northern Cross River, Southern Kaduna, Southern Borno, Adamawa, Benue, Kogi, Plateau, Nasarawa and Taraba States.”
According to him, the Western Middle Belt Region comprises Southern Kebbi, parts of Kwara and Niger States while the North Eastern Region will be made up of parts of Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Jigawa, and Yobe States.
