In particular President Bola Tinubu will receive what is called a ‘’draft bill’’, aimed at returning Nigeria to the system of federal regionalism. This Bill is accordingly christened “A Bill for an Act to Substitute the Annexure to Decree 24 of 1999 with New Governance Model for the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” and has been written by Akin Fapohunda, a leading Yoruba of Afenifere stripe.
These projections are provided in a bill that aims at enacting a new set of laws under the title, “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria New Governance Model for Nigeria Act 2024. ”
Nonetheless, due to a lack of support from the House of Representatives, this particular bill is yet to be endorsed but is set to be submitted to the President shortly. In his opinions, Akin Rotimi, the House spokesman, and the Chairman of the Committee on Rules and Business have held that the bill is not one of the ones being currently considered under the ongoing process of constitutional amendment of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).
He added this while speaking in an interview on Thursday, Fapohunda stressed that the bill would be transmitted to the President on Friday. He assured that the letter (draft bill) would be presented without delay, but more information would be published only after a week.
Presenting the bill on behalf of the Coalition of Indigenous Ethnic Nationalities, Fapohunda said that the bill in question provides for the administrational division of Nigeria into eight geo-political regions with preliminary borders.
Fapohunda dully noted that the coalition general direct that the future and expected government should involve two tier government which include federal and regional levels of government. The political organization of regions would be provided with particular powers to regulate their activity, the formation of subordinate structures within the framework of the provisions set by the constitutive treaties.
This proposed bill marks a turning point for Nigeria as the nation strives on its effort to strike a balance of power and decentralized structure which facilitates regional autonomism in politics.