Tinubu's great silence on restructuring

The Nasir El Rufai-led True Federalism Committee, established by the All Progressives Congress to examine the issue of restructuring, submitted its reports to the National Working Committee on Thursday, January 25, 2018. The committee in its reports called for greater delegation of powers to the states and for the police and prisons to be moved from the exclusive list to the concurrent list. According to the report, the state government would be authorized to create a state police to deal with certain crimes as well as state prisons.

The committee also recommended independent candidacy, but with a clause that those who intend to stand for election must not have been members of a political party for at least six months before the elections in which they intend to stand. . On local government autonomy, the commission said that since “there is no one-size-fits-all solution,” states should be allowed to legislate for local governments, including creating more councils. Former President Muhammadu Buhari was not in favor of restructuring or decentralizing power. In his eight years as president, he never initiated a constitutional amendment to facilitate this. Surprisingly, he has had the most constitutional changes to his name.

In 2018, although these were National Assembly private member's bills, Buhari signed into law five constitutional amendments. Among them, it is worth noting the reduction of the age of the candidates for the presidency, the House of Representatives and the Legislative Assembly of the States, within the framework of the bill "Not too young to run". The age requirement for the presidency was reduced from 40 to 35, while that for the House of Representatives and state assemblies was reduced from 30 to 25. In March 2023, Buhari signed the 16 Constitutional Amendments Act. Three of them concern the decentralization of powers. These are the removal of railroads, prisons (now correctional facilities) and electricity from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent legislative list.

The outgoing president, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, is a recognized democrat. He fought tooth and nail with his comrades to ensure the return to civilian rule in 1999 as a prominent member of the National Democratic Coalition. He is a recognized supporter of restructuring. In fact, at the Third Annual Abiola Ajimobi Roundtable on November 16, 2020, he delivered a profound speech titled “The Time for Restructuring is Now.” I was one of the speakers at the event which was held at the International Conference Center at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State.

During the roundtable, Asiwaju said among other things: “Our system remains too centralized with too much power and money remaining within the federal power. This imbalance leads to a relative weakness of the state. We need to rethink how revenues are divided between the states and the federal government. Here I must state what to many of us may seem like a novel idea. But this concept has guided the fiscal policies of other countries for several decades. If we are to catch up with these other nations in development, it is imperative that we match them in terms of the effectiveness of government fiscal roles and operations involving the national government and our sub-national political units. »

Tinubu added that it is imperative that states receive more revenue so they can do more things. “I am not advocating a blank check for the States. The more revenue they get, the more action they have to take and the more responsibility they take to use that revenue wisely, because the very fate of their people is at stake." He also said, "Time for the police to came. In fact, it's late. This significant change requires more funds between states and less in the hands of the federal government. »

According to the Jagaban of Borgu, "Other elements such as stamp duty on financial transactions, tourism and business incorporation should also be applied at the state level and be removed from the federal tax. Perhaps the most important factor in economic development is electricity generation. States are currently excluded from this vital sector, even if the nation suffers from a lack of power. States should be allowed to engage in power generation provided their efforts are consistent and do not undermine federal work in this sector. »

On June 10, 2023, President Bola Tinubu approved the Electricity Act, which authorizes states, companies and individuals to generate, transmit and distribute electricity. The new Electricity Law repeals the Electricity Sector Reform Law which was signed by former President Olusegun Obasanjo in 2005. The new law consolidates all legislation dealing with the electricity supply sector for provide an omnibus and ideal institutional framework to guide the post-privatization phase of the electricity sector. the Nigerian power supply industry and encourage private sector investment in the industry. It also provides a framework for improving access to electricity in...