OPENING-REMARKS-BY-AMB-(DR.) GODKNOWS BOLADEI IGALI, OON,-NATIONAL-CHAIRMAN,-PANDEF

OPENING REMARKS BY AMB (DR.) GODKNOWS BOLADEI IGALI, OON, NATIONAL CHAIRMAN, PANDEF 

AT THE RETREAT ON RESTRUCTURING HELD IN PORT HARCOURT 

THURSDAY, 

4TH DECEMBER, 2025

Mr. Chairman, Your Royal Majesties, esteemed guests, and fellow Nigerians, I welcome you today to this important event at this pivotal moment in our nation's journey, under the joint auspices of the Rebirth Nigeria Group and PANDEF, to address a topic that has become the clarion call for our collective future: Restructuring Nigeria.

We convene in the heart of Port Harcourt, a city that epitomizes the resilience and vibrancy of our nation. As we deliberate, we are reminded of the immense potential that lies within our diversity, the challenges that beset us, and the imperative for change.

Restructuring is not a mere fashionable jargon for political commentators. For me, it is the pathway to unlocking Nigeria's boundless possibilities. So, restructuring as a word speaks to our collective yearning for a system that truly reflects our collective aspirations, harnesses our resources, and empowers our people.

The American founding fathers, who pioneered federalism, offer valuable insights. As James Madison, the 'Father of the American Constitution', said, "The powers delegated by the proposed Constitution to the federal government are few and defined. Those which are to remain in the State governments are numerous and indefinite." Let us emulate this wisdom in defining the powers of our federal and state governments.

Thomas Jefferson also noted, "The government that governs least, governs best." By decentralizing power and empowering our subnationals, we can create a government that truly serves the people.

How we adopted federalism

After the experience of India and Pakistan which opted for two separate countries at the time of independence, Nigeria’s founding fathers decided to live in a unified federation under certain terms of existence.  These terms of existence were particularly expressed at the Ibadan Conference of 1950/51, in the Macpherson Constitution of 1951 and more particularly the wishes of how Nigerians want to live together was well crystallized at the 1954 Lyttleton Constitution.   In the prelude to that constitutional order, Nigerians gathered in 1953 to put in place a federating system as what they prefer to be options for our existence.  

Accordingly, in the 1954 constitution, the principle of federalism became entrenched in this country.   By that constitution, the regions were given greater autonomy and position of premiers were created and concurrent list of sharing power between the regions and the centre. What is critical is that the concurrent list weighed heavily in favour of the regions. This is totally different from the MacPherson Constitution, from the Arthur Richards constitution of 1946 and the Clifford constitution of 1922.  Therefore, federalism became as we have seen defined by the American nation part and parcel of what our fathers decided should keep us together.  

Consequently, this order was transferred on to the 1960 and 1964 constitution but was truncated by the 1966 coup which introduced a unitary system.   Unfortunately, this was continued indirectly in the 1979 and the current 1999 constitution which we practice.   

Our focus today

Today, I want to emphasize some critical pillars of restructuring: Fiscal Federalism and Devolution of Power.

Fiscal federalism is the bedrock upon which true federalism is built. It is the principle that resources should be managed and allocated in a manner that reflects the contributions of each region, while also ensuring equitable redistribution to address national priorities. We must move away from the current system, where the center holds too much power, and instead, empower our states and local governments to drive development.  What obtained during the first republic under the reign of federalism was a sharing formula that encouraged production and healthy competition. Regions which produce received 50% of the revenue thereof.  Thereafter, 30% went to the distributive pool to enable all regions share from whatever each other produce while 20% went to the federal government to enable it function. This is against the reasoning as we saw earlier that a strong centre was more effective in being lean and small and not nebulous and like an octopus. 

After many years of zero allocation, today we have only 13% of what comes to our region. Despite the massive environmental destruction which prevents our people from living their normal life of fishing and farming and the environmental genocide which we face, we don’t think the 13% is fair. Well, even the present constitution said that the 13% is a minimal.  

The onus therefore is on the federal government working with the national assembly to raise that to 50% or better still, a regime where each region keeps what it produces and pay tax to the federal government.  This is fair and just because every state in Nigeria have natural resources.  So, let us control our resources, produce and pay what the country wants us to pay.   As the renowned economist, Prof. Adebayo Adedeji, noted, “The Nigerian state is a leaky bucket, with the centre holding the bucket and the regions holding the holes.”  We must plug these holes by devolving power and resources to our subnationals.

Devolution of power is equally crucial. It is the transfer of authority and decision-making capacity from the federal government to our states and local governments. This will enable our regions to address their unique challenges, harness their resources, and drive economic growth.  Accordingly, the regions were allowed to have more control of various issues in their states.  As a matter of fact, the concurrent list weighted heavily in favour of the regions, thereby enabling them to have effective control over the territories which they occupy.  

Unfortunately, over the years, the items on the exclusive list which belong to the federal government has snowballed, leaving the states to contend with only few items, 68 items, rather than the previous examples of army, navy, air force, police, customs, immigration, currency, external affairs, communication.  This is an area of great concern as the covenant entered into by our fathers to remain as one was based on a constitutional order that will allow the sub-nationals to control their destinies.   But devolution of power and fiscal federalism can only succeed if we strengthen our subnational governments – our states and local governments.  We need to build their capacity, ensure they have the necessary resources, and empower them to take ownership of their development.

Local Government Areas

One critical area of devolving power is the authority to create local governments. All over the world, local governments are the products of federating units.  The federal government cannot appropriate to itself that power to create local councils.  Unfortunately, this principle or the ability of federating units, i.e. states being hijacked by the federal government has led to a state of injustice at the highest level.  Sadly, during the years of military rule, local governments became created in arbitrary manner which has resulted into the high level of injustice.  

Accordingly, Bayelsa almost like a joke, has 8 local governments. Meanwhile, Kano has 44 local governments, Katsina has 34 local governments, Oyo has 32 and Akwa Ibom 31 local governments. Even the almighty Lagos has merely 20 local governments while our old Rivers has just 22 local governments.  Let it be restated that it is only a state that can fully understand how many local governments that it can effectively administer.   

But devolution of power and fiscal federalism can only succeed if we strengthen our subnational governments - our states and local governments. We need to build their capacity, ensure they have the necessary resources, and empower them to take ownership of their development.

Strengthening subnationals means investing in their institutions, building their human capital, and giving them the autonomy to make decisions that affect their people. It means creating an environment where they can attract investments, drive innovation, and deliver services that meet the needs of their citizens.

On Police and the Judiciary

Furthermore, we must also decentralize our judiciary and policing systems. A centralized judiciary can lead to delays, inefficiencies, and a lack of responsiveness to local needs. By decentralizing the judiciary, we can ensure that justice is delivered swiftly and effectively, and that our courts are responsive to the needs of our communities.

Similarly, a centralized police force can lead to a lack of accountability and responsiveness to local needs. By decentralizing policing, we can ensure that our police forces are accountable to the communities they serve, and that they are equipped to address local security challenges effectively.

Decentralizing the judiciary and policing will bring government closer to the people, increase accountability, and improve responsiveness to local needs. It will also enable our states and local governments to take ownership of their security and justice systems, and drive development in their regions.

Conclusion

Ultimately, we must return as close as possible to the spirit and tenets of the 1963 Nigeria Constitution on True Federalism, which recognized the diversity of our nation and provided for a federal system that empowered our regions. The 1963 Constitution and the outcome of the 2014 National Conference, as well as the 2017 Report of the APC Committee on True Federalism is a blueprint for true federalism, and it is the key to unlocking Nigeria's potential.

Let us, therefore, focus on building a Nigeria where every region can thrive, where every state can drive its own development, and where every local government can deliver on its mandate.

To our National Assembly and policymakers, we say: listen to the pulse of the people. To our youth, we urge: engage, participate, and lead. To our communities, we advocate: unity in diversity is our strength.

Together, we can forge a Nigeria that is just, equitable, and prosperous for all. A Nigeria where every citizen can thrive, where our diversity is our strength, and where our future is bright.

Thank you and best wishes for a great summit.