Nigerian Lawmakers Prepare To Exume The Remains Of The Westminster System

● As they search for a less expensive system of administration

By PHC Telegraph

 

Some lawmakers  in Ngeria have come together to ask for the replacement of the presidential system of government with the parliamentary format which operates in the UK.

The move conceived by about 60 lawmakers is being made on the floor of the House of Representatives as part of efforts that are going on to amend the 1999 Constitution.

Led by Wale Raji, a legislator representing Lagos State who is a member of the All Progressives Congress, the lawmakers are saying that a return to the parliamentary model would reduce the cost of governance in the country.

Recall that at independence, Nigeria operated the Westminster System adopted from the British which was blamed among other things for promoting strong regional units of administration that more or less weakened the centre and led to a civil war.

Arguments against the actions of regional administrations coupled with the agitations of the minority groups for some autonomy influenced the military government led by General  Yakubu Gowon to create 12 states.

Although there have been random calls at different talk shops held  in the past in parts of the country to find solid answers to the Nigerian problem, those cat-calls have been largely ignored by Nigerian lawmakers.

The attempt by Raji and his co-travellers on the floor of a 360-member House perhaps, signals a strong bid in recent history by opponents of the presidential system of government to have a voice in parliament.

While some see the action of the 60 lawmakers as a significant step taken to cut the cost of governance, others think it is an unnecessary distraction.

They say national lawmakers should be more preoccupied with finding solutions to hunger and unemployment, food scarcity, growing violence and bloodshed, health and educational challenges, insecurity and instability.

The spokesperson of the Raji group, Abdulsamad Dasuki who briefed journalists at the House Press Centre, revealed the extent of the frustration felt by them over the overbearing powers of the president.

“No wonder the Nigerian President appears to be one of the most powerful Presidents in the world,” Mr Dasuki said.

“Over the years, the imperfections of the Presidential System of Government have become glaring to all, despite several alterations to the constitution to address the shortcomings of a system that has denied the nation the opportunity to attain its full potential.

“Among these imperfections are the high cost of governance, leaving fewer resources for crucial areas like infrastructure, education, and healthcare, and consequently hindering the nation’s development, progress, and the excessive powers vested in the members of the executive, who are appointees and not directly accountable to the people,” he said.

Senator Shehu Sani who is among a handful of prominent Nigerians to react publicly said, “The Bill before the Reps to return Nigeria to parliamentary system is an exercise in futility.

“They should know that this is a matter for constitutional amendment that must go through the rigorous phases of constitutional amendment.”

A former member of the National Assembly,  Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, DSSRS, who is also the Publisher of the Port Harcourt Telegraph said on X, “Our nation’s problem does not lie in the systems of government that the nation has operated. It lies in us- the people and the leadership that we have enjoyed.

“We ran away from the Westminster System years ago and blamed it for all the woes that befell us in the First Republic. Now we are turning around to condemn the presidential system. Are we not like the bad workman that quarrels with his tool?

“We should be careful not to turn this “Generator nation” as the South Africans have dubbed us into a laughing stock at the global level.”