Dr. Akin Fapohunda, Director of Research for the Afenifere Group, has strongly criticised the Federal Government?s ongoing constitutional amendment process, describing it as ?cosmetic,? ?unrealistic,? and ?a waste of national energy.?Speaking on Channels Television?s The Morning Brief on Wednesday, Dr. Fapohunda said the government?s move to amend the constitution in about 74 places and alter 83 clauses within six months is impractical and lacks genuine intent to address Nigeria?s structural problems.

?What the Federal Government wants to do is to amend the Constitution in about 74 places, change 83 clauses. Do they have the capacity to do that in the next six months before the next election?? he asked. ?Do the 36 state assemblies have the brain to process 70-something bills in the next 3?6 months? The whole system is just headed for the garbage can. You cannot do it.?

Last month, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, hinted at a National Public Hearing held in Abuja to review the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

?Today in Abuja, we held the National Public Hearing on the Review of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Our proposals reflect Nigeria?s diversity and complexity, but few are as transformative as those promoting inclusive governance,? Abbas tweeted on his personal X handle.

Abbas stated that the green chamber would do everything possible to successfully amend the constitution after failed attempts by previous assemblies.

?As Speaker, I pledge that we will take your contributions seriously and consider the bills with diligence, fairness, and urgency,? he stated.

?We will engage the State Assemblies respectfully and transparently to secure their concurrence.

?We would continue to work with the executive and with you, the people, to ensure that the amendment process proceeds smoothly,? he said.

However, speaking further, Dr. Fapohunda accused political elites of using the process for self-serving motives, including proposals to create 46 new states, which he said are driven by the desire for new security votes and access to public funds.

?They want to create 46 new states so there will be security votes for the governors; there will be money to buy SUVs, all of them want to be governors in these states,? he stated. ?Maybe I?m being uncharitable, but they?ve given us enough reason to believe they are not serious. The little things they are putting there are just cosmetics; they are of no use.?He dismissed calls for state police under the current framework, insisting that Nigeria needs full decentralisation.

?What is state police? The call needs to be decentralized entirely,? he said.

Outlining what he called a practical blueprint for meaningful reform, Dr. Fapohunda proposed four fundamental constitutional changes that, in his view, could ?transform Nigeria radically within six months.?

?The first thing is to codify a true federal constitution, separate the Abuja constitution from the second tier of government. We must have two distinct constitutions,? he explained. ?The six geopolitical zones should serve as the second-tier base of governance, each with its own constitution reflecting its peculiarities.?

He added that the current 68 items on the Exclusive Legislative List should be reduced to 12, while the remaining 46 should be devolved to the zones.

?After that, we can set up a referendum panel and present the draft before Nigerians for discussion within three to four months,? he said. ?Abuja has no business with roads, schools, or hospitals, only with foreign relations, passports, and currency. Even the military structure should be decentralised across the geopolitical zones.?

According to him, such reforms would reduce tension, empower regions to manage their own resources, and restore balance to the federation.

?Once that happens, the temperature will drop. The North will control their gold, the South-West their IT, the South-South their oil, and people will stop fighting to control Abuja,? he said.

Dr. Fapohunda concluded that President Bola Tinubu?s approach to governance is flawed, arguing that ?he is pretending to run Nigeria just from Abuja,? rather than promoting true federalism that empowers all regions equally.

(Channels)

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