The National Conference Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government has recommended that there should be a unicameral National Assembly as well as Nigeria retaining its federal structure.

The committee however rejected the six-geo political zones as federating units, and rather preferred that the 36 states should become the federating units.

It also recommended that the South-east should have a additional state, and that any group of states may create a self-funding Zonal Commission to promote economic development, good governance, equity, peace and security in accordance with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

According to the committee, there are requests for more states, but said that subsequent creation of states should be on merit, while approving the criteria for the creation of new States as follows.

It said that: “Any new State sought to be created must be viable. In considering viability the following should be taken into consideration. Any new State should be economically viable or potentially economically viable. It should have human, natural and material resources.

“It should have a minimum land mass/water mass, The viability of the existing State(s) should be taken into consideration as well so as not to create a situation where new State(s) would leave the existing State(s) unviable, The new State should have cultural /historical antecedents, with strong cultural affinity amongst the population of the new state.

“The components of the new State should be contiguous, any new State shall have a minimum population of one million persons. The Committee considered the provisions of Section 8 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and resolved to maintain it or as may be amended”, the committee stated.

On local government, the committee reaffirmed Section 7 of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended) that “a system of local governments by democratically elected local government council is guaranteed. It further said that local governments should, as at present not be a third tier of the federation.

“States may wish to create local governments, which shall be under the jurisdiction of the States. The States shall determine the number, structure, form and administration of local governments. Without prejudice to the existing local governments, states that wish may create or reduce the number of existing local governments, which shall be under the jurisdiction of the State.

“That the number, structure, form and administration of the local governments shall be the responsibility of the States. That the list of the Local Governments contained in the First Schedule of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended) be removed, and transferred to the States to be covered by a law of the State Houses of Assembly.

“That the functions of the Local governments as contained in Schedule 4 of the 1999 Constitution (as Amended) shall be transferred to the States subject to the power of the State Houses of Assembly to add or reduce the said functions of the local government”, the committee said.

That all nominees of SRMAFC be screened by State House of Assembly as members should be appointed to a fixed tenure with possibility of renewal for another term; members cannot be removed until expiration of their terms unless for special circumstances; and that in its allocation of funds to the state government, local government councils and between local councils of a State.

On Local Government Elections, the Committee said it accepted the Belgore Report that the practice of unelected officials or sole administrators administering local governments or any period violates the spirit of representative governance and should not be allowed. Local councils must have clearly defined tenure.

“Elections should be held not earlier than 90 days or 30 days to the expiration of the clearly defined tenure of the local government Councils. Section 197(1)(b) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and the relevant provisions in the Third Schedule should, therefore be retained, provided the composition of an ad hoc Election Council will include the following: a serving High Court Judge as Chairman, one representative each of all political parties that won election into the State House of Assembly and eminent community leader.

Others are representative of the labour movement, representative of the civil society. In the event of death, impeachment, incapacitation or resignation of the local government chairman or any other official, the vacancy must be filled by election not later than 90 days from the onset of the vacancy.”

It further recommended that the geo-political zones should not be the federating units government but states. It recommended that the Committee unanimously resolved that a Modified Presidential System of Government be adopted for the federation. That the core elements of the Modified Presidential System of government shall be as follows:

There shall be a president for the federation and for the purpose of election to the office of President, the whole of the federation shall be regarded as one constituency; candidate for an election to the office of the president shall run as a sole candidate.

It said there should be a vice president for the federation, the president-elect shall select a vice-president from the legislature, the President shall exercise full responsibility for his government and he shall select the ministers from the legislature.

Subject to the provisions of (vi) above, the President may select, not more than 30 per cent of his ministers from outside the legislature. The President shall be entitled to serve two terms of office of four years each, running consecutively. The second term of a maximum of four years shall be subject to re-election; there shall be quarterly question time for the President and weekly question time for Ministers at the legislature to enhance accountability and transparency.

It recommended that there shall be an annual State-of-the- Nation address by the president, In the event of death, incapacitation, impeachment or resignation of the president, the vice-president shall act as president for a period of ninety (90) days within which an election to the office of president shall be held”, the committee recommended.

www.thisdaylive.com/articles/committee-recommends-unicameral-legislature-retains-federal-system-of-government/182451/

Creation of additional State(s) in SE is long overdue for equity sake.