Federal System Highly Imbalanced, Poorly Managed

Former National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof. Attahiru Muhammadu Jega, has said for Nigeria to grow and prosper, it must restructure its current Federal system, which he said is highly imbalanced and poorly managed.

Jega, who stated this in a paper he delivered at the 4th public Lecture at Nasarawa State University, Keffi titled “Restructuring the Nigerian Federation: Challenges and Prospects”, argued that “restructuring is highly inevitable and the time to start is now.”

He advised that the country is urgently reformed and repositioned to satisfy the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians for a federation based on the rule of law, justice, equity and equality of opportunity for all citizens in the country.

The former INEC boss noted that lack of restructuring would lead to perpetual instability and poor management of diversity with the likely terrible possibility of dismemberment by the extremist agitations for new ‘nations’ to be created out of present-day Nigeria.

According to him, “As a way out of the logjam, the country must come to terms with the challenges and prospects of restructuring. We need to come to terms with the fact that restructuring is necessary.”

Prof. Attahiru Jega advised that the approach and mechanism deployed in pursuing the restructuring is very vital in achieving the desired goal.