By Douglas Jones
The House of Representatives has disavowed a trending draft bill that proposes a return to the regional system of government. The draft, titled “A Bill for an Act to substitute the annexure to Decree 24 of 1999 with a new governance model for the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” suggests new laws to be known as “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria New Governance Model for Nigeria Act 2024.”
Drafted by Dr. Akin Fapohunda, who is not a legislator in the Senate or House of Representatives, the bill has circulated widely on social media, marking it as a private initiative.
House spokesman Akin Rotimi clarified in a phone conversation that the draft bill is not under consideration. "The Committees on Rules and Business and Constitution Review have confirmed that there is no such bill before them," Rotimi stated.
Francis Waive, Chairman of the House Committee on Rules and Business, also confirmed that the bill is not listed with his committee. "There are two routes to proposing constitutional amendments: through members proposing an amendment bill during plenary sessions, or through memoranda from individuals and groups to the Constitution Review Committee. I doubt if this specific draft bill has come before the Rules and Business Committee for listing," Waive explained.
In an exclusive interview, Fapohunda, a retired director in the Presidency with a PhD in Agricultural Science, explained his motivation. "The President recently reinstated the old national anthem. At independence, Nigeria had a regional system of government, and I believe we should consider returning to that structure. I have drafted this proposal for Nigerians to consider. I plan to discuss it with my representative in the House of Representatives next week. We hope that senators and House members will support this proposal for change. If accepted, we can then draft the bill formally," he said.
Punch Newspaper reported.
Tags
News