Don highlights flaws in Nigerian federalism, calls for reforms

A lecturer at the Department of Private and Property Law of the Redeemers University, Ede, Osun State, Dr Olaniyi Olayinka, has described the Nigerian type of federalism as “fake”, saying the 1999 constitution is a disservice to the country.

The don stated this on Thursday at the 4th public lecture of the College of Law of the Achiever University, Owo, Ondo State.

The lecture was titled ‘Nigeria Federalism and the Realisation of the Objectives of a State.”

Dr Olaniyi, who was the guest lecturer, also pointed out that the militarisation of the political landscape of the country resulted in the loss of federalism and consequent centralisation of economic and political offices.

He said, “The ruling APC election manifesto was to give true federalism to Nigeria but former President Muhammadu Buhari failed to enforce the same.

He said, “This is a manifestation of power wherein a single citizen vested with power resists the realisation of the will of the people.”

In the same vein, the don posited that the federal character principle sought the inclusive participation of every citizen in the economic and political sectors but he noted that the fact that the President is not bound to take the recommendations of the Federal Character Commission hinders the realisation of the objectives of the commission.

Olaniyi added, “The laudable provisions of the federal character principle as contained in the 1999 Constitution becomes less helpful as it remains non-justiciable.

“Apart from legal restraints on the application of the federal character principles in Nigeria, the political constraint is discovered in terms of ethnic considerations.”

He also identified ethnicity, public sector corruption, compromised ruling party and compromised opposition party as some of the challenges to good governance in Nigeria.

“The ethnicity factor in Nigeria is anti-productivity, the government fails to ensure that everyone enjoys just and favourable conditions of work and a decent living for himself and his family.

“The Boko Haram Sect, the killer–cattle–herders, kidnappers, destroyers of lives and properties are granted amnesty by the state, and there is no political will to prosecute those arrested, this undermines socio-economic and cultural developments, ” the guest lecturer decried.

One of the ways out of the socio-economic challenges of the country and to attain the desired true federalism, according to him, is for the 2014 Confab report to be implemented by the Federal Government.

“The CONFAB Report of 2014 which prescribes a true federation in Nigeria, should be revisited and implemented.

“Ghana pursues a decentralised government which provides efficient, effective, and equitable local service delivery, which citizens desire.

“Ghana handles its horizontal inequalities between different ethnic groups, through the provisions for the conduct of a referendum,” he opined.