“Politics must be as moral as possible if a nation is to flourish in the long run.” Rabbi Lord Jonathan Sacks
This draft is ambitious constitutional surgery. It reads like a federalism reset, but several clauses are politically and fiscally explosive.
Decongestion of Abuja, more regional autonomy, and resource control. Adding a “Zonal” tier between Federal and State could speed up power, health, and policing decisions closer to citizens.
– The bill freezes state creation at 42, yet it lists new ones like “West Izon”, “Orashi”, “Anioma”, “Gurara”, “Odo Oya”. That is a contradiction. Naming new states guarantees litigation, ethnic contestation, and NASS gridlock.
– States 50%, Federation 20%, Zones 15%, Trust Fund 15% upends current vertical sharing. Oil-producing states will cheer, landlocked, low-IGR states will collapse without bailout clauses. “Zones must bail out states” is a fiscal time bomb.
– Zonal police, zonal power generation/transmission, specialist hospitals, and civil service structures in six new bureaucracies by 2026 is impossible. Nigeria still struggles to fund basic PHCs.
– Rotating chairmanship among governors politicizes zones. “Ultimate authority rests with committee of governors” risks turning zones into governors’ cartels.
Restructure needs consensus, referendums, and phased funding. This “JUST IN” bill is a think-piece, not a workable law. Without state-creation consensus and money, it’s a recipe for crisis.
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bcradle@ymail.com
