Osun seeks return to regionalism

[MrVan]

By GBENGA OLARINOYE

OSOGBO—The people of Osun State have opted for a return to parliamentary democracy and regional system of government as practised in the country during the First Republic.

The country, in the Second Republic, in the 1979 Constitution, adopted presidential system of government and jettisoned the parliamentary system operated in the First Republic.

This formed one of the proposed amendments contained in a memorandum sent to the National Assembly for amendments of some sections of the Constitution relating to certain provisions of the 1999 Constitution.

Governor of Osun State, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, had directed that the state should contribute immensely to the debate by constituting the State Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution to aggregate the views of Osun State citizens.

Also on the 15-man committee recommendations headed by Chief Gbadegesin Adedeji, a lawyer, are constitutional recognition for the six geo-political zone/regions; that the geo-political zones or regions constitute the federating units, replacing the present state designate and that they should be created based on considerations of culture, land, nationality and political expediency.

The document, entitled, "Memorandum of the State of Osun on the Review of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria also recommended that each region, when constitutionally recognised, should be allowed to make and have its own constitution and that the proposed amendment should have a clause for self-determination.

The memorandum also proposed that membership of the upper chamber (Senate) should be on part-time basis and receive sitting allowances to be determined by the Revenue Mobilisation and Fiscal Allocation Commission, RMFAC, while the salary and emoluments of members of the House of Representatives should not be higher than that of the most senior public servant in the employment of the central government.

It also proposed that only matters bordering on the collective interest of the generality of Nigerians like Foreign Affairs, defence, currency, among others, should be left with the Central Government.

The memorandum stated inter alia: "Constitutional recognition should be given to geo-political zones/regions; that the geo-political zones or regions should be the Federating Units and that the geo-political zones/regions should be created using such parameter as culture, land, nationality and political expediency.  More powers should be taken away from the centre to the Federating Units.

"Amendment of the Constitution should include a clause for self-determination.   The National Assembly should be bi-camera but election to the House of Representatives should reflect extant Electoral Act incorporating Justice Uwais Panel reports in its entirety. In view of the above, chapter 1 of the 1999 Constitution should be amended to make the Constitution supreme in areas allocated to the Central Government.

In the event of any inconsistency or conflict between the laws of the Geo-political Zones or Regions and that of Central government, it should be resolved by the Central Supreme Court. The right of self-determination should be guaranteed by the Constitution."

On the power sharing, the memo also proposed devolution of power to the federating units.

Other far-reaching amended proposed include: parliamentary democracy; concrete constitutional roles for traditional rulers; creation, administration and control of local Government be left to the federating units either states Houses of Assembly/that of the region; removal of Land use Act; National Youth Service corps (NYSC); Code of Conduct Bureau and establishment of regional police.

The committee also noted that Section 4 of the Constitution should be preserved with a caveat that chapter V of the Constitution, which contains Sections 47 to 89 should reflect the position of the people of the State of Osun that the geo-political zone/region should nominate Senators to Senate of the Central Government.

"The review of the 1999 Constitution, no doubt, is of great interest to the good people of the State of Osun who have for many years been in the forefront in the struggles and agitations for a balanced federation, in place of a strange Federal structure where power is over centralized, leading to sundry deficiencies.

"For unity in diversity, for all-round development, for equal opportunity for all, for a polity where no one is oppressed, and where there is iron-cast guarantee for the fundamental human rights of all citizens, a drastic review of the 1999 Constitution, is our peoples minimum demand or request," The memo concluded.

Vanguard Nigeria