Former Minister of Information, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, has warned that Nigeria risks disintegration before the 2027 general elections if urgent steps are not taken to restructure the country.

Nwodo, also a former president-general of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, stated that the current political structure has failed to address Nigeria’s complex challenges and must be reformed before the next elections.

He issued the warning on Wednesday in Abuja at the public launch of two books — The Bubbles of Nigeria’s Democracy: The Musings of a Nigerian Journalist, and Wadata Wonders: Memoirs of a Partisan Journalist, authored by veteran journalist, Ike Abonyi.

Present at the event were former Anambra State Governor and Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi; former presidential aspirant in 2023, Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen of the PDP; and Senator Bala Mohammed, representative of Bauchi State and Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, among others.

Delivering a keynot lecture, titled “How Did We Get Here?”, Nwodo argued that Nigeria operates a unitary constitution masquerading as federalism which he said has entrenched injustice, stifled development, and intensified agitations across the country.

While lamenting the concentration of power at the centre, he noted that regions have lost the autonomy they once enjoyed in controlling resources, developing infrastructure, and ensuring security within their jurisdictions.

Stating that the country is currently at a crossroads, he said: “Nigeria must restructure and give its component units sovereignty over its natural resources, provided they pay royalty or some form of taxation to the Federal government to maintain federal responsibilities like External Defence, Foreign Missions, Customs and Immigration. In this way, true democracy will evolve and the speed of development will increase.

“Emphasis must return to agriculture and education. Education must emphasise Renaissance digital orientation. Domestic security must remain in the hands of the federating units.

“The secularity of the Nigerian State must be respected. These minimum conditions are not negotiable. If it does not happen, we will have no alternative but to go our separate ways. Processes to begin our restructuring as a nation must be concluded before the 2027 elections to avert a situation where sections of the country may boycott the elections and present the country with a constitutional force majeure.”

Nwodo further decried Nigeria’s declining socioeconomic indicators, including worsening poverty, youth unemployment, decaying infrastructure, and poor life expectancy, which he said reflect the consequences of a flawed governance structure.

Citing the United Nations World Population Prospects 2025 report, the elder statesman noted that Nigeria currently has the lowest life expectancy globally at 54.8 years, while a World Bank report estimates that the country loses over $1 billion annually due to poor road infrastructure.

He described the 1999 Constitution as a military decree lacking legitimacy, saying that no Nigerian ever debated or endorsed it.

Nwodo warned that without restructuring before 2027, some regions may boycott the elections or reject the outcome, plunging the country into a constitutional crisis. (The Guardian)