Agbakoba seeks return to regional govt, faults agitation for new states

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba has advocated for the return to regional government rather than the creation of new states.

He noted that state creation would increase the cost of governance as new offices would be formed, despite the harsh economic realities facing the nation’s populace.

Agbakoba, a former President of the Nigeria Bar Association, expressed the view in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos State.

A bill seeking the creation of Etiti State in the South-East passed the second reading on Thursday in the House of Representatives, as the House is set to hold a public hearing on the bill, before returning it for a third and final reading ahead of passage and concurrence of the Senate.

Also, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Delta State, Prof. Leroy Edozien, has advised President Bola Tinubu to write his name in gold by creating an additional state to address the marginalisation in the South-East zone.

Reacting, Agbakoba said Nigeria does not presently need more states

According to him, instead, lawmakers and other political stakeholders should be concerned about restructuring Nigeria into a regional government to reflect the real diversity of the country.

He added that he was not in support of additional states because most of the 36 states are economically unviable, insolvent and incapable of bringing about infrastructural development and even paying the proposed minimum wage.

The SAN said, “State creation at this present harsh economic will, no doubt, lead to an increase in the number of National Assembly members, ministers, local governments, and others, which would further increase the cost of governance in the country.

“This is coming at a time when most Nigerians are starving due to rise in the food prices. Insurgents, bandits and terrorists are abducting people for ransom in other states of the country.

“Therefore, the National Assembly should, instead, return the country to regionalism by collapsing the 36 states into six to eight regions or geopolitical zones, each of which will have a leader.”

Agbakoba noted, “This means that the present Nigeria 1999 Constitution would be amended or a new one written to accommodate this proposal.

“This is because making a new constitution for Nigeria has become an overriding imperative based on the fact that new political realities and conundrums have cropped up in the country.”

Agbakoba, a human rights activist, said the only way to resolve the socio-economic and political problems was to amend the 1999 constitution to pave the way for a regional system of government.

He said regional governments were once successfully run with Obafemi Awolowo in charge of the South West, Michael Okpara in charge of the South East and Ahmadu Bello in the North.

Agbakoba said since Nigeria left the modernity of regionalism, the states had been unviable, apart from Lagos and Rivers, adding that though the impulse to create a sixth state in the South-East was for balance, that the greater good of Nigeria would be felt if regionalism is given a chance.

“This agitation will arise because it is on the basis of the number of states that federal allocation flows.

“So the fact that the South-East has five states means to them that they are losing revenue and that is a one point of view and also an emotional point of their agitation,” he stated.

“However, a pragmatic developmental point of view, which I go for, is that even if you create a sixth state in the South-East to give them a sense of belonging, will this new state in addition to the 36 states take us towards the path of development?” Agbakoba queried.

“Will it reverse the hunger, insecurity, poverty and unemployment in the land? Absolutely not.

“We need to do away from state creation to the regional system of government,” the former NBA boss added.

NAN