Agbakoba: Six-Year Term, Parliamentary Government Are Diversions from Real Issues

Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, former president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), has dismissed the propositions of a six-year single tenure and a parliamentary form of government as diversions from addressing Nigeria’s core issues.

In an interview with the Nigerian Tribune, Agbakoba asserted that proponents of these changes are avoiding the fundamental problem: the need for the devolution of power to the federating units to ensure their viability.

Agbakoba highlighted the inefficiency of the current governance system, pointing out that the central government holds the majority of power, with 98 items on the Exclusive Legislative List and 30 shared with state governments on the Concurrent List.

Reflecting on the benefits of regionalism in the First Republic, Agbakoba argued that empowering states would lead to healthy competition and overall national development. “More power given to states would result in healthy, intense competition regarding the development of their states, which will benefit the country as a whole,” he stated.

He criticized the focus on a six-year single tenure and parliamentary government, emphasizing that these are not the solutions to Nigeria’s leadership challenges. “A president who has sat for four years, if given six, is likely to be worse. The only way forward is to transfer real authority to the states,” he said.

Agbakoba advocated for a constitutional change that would allocate the 98 items of power to the states and retain only essential functions at the federal level, such as defense, foreign policy, and monetary policy. This, he argued, would reduce the intense competition for presidential power centralized in Abuja and encourage localized governance across the 36 states.

“The federal government currently stifles everything, leaving governors as mere ceremonial chiefs dependent on federal funds. Empowering governors with real authority would eliminate the need for them to constantly seek approval from Abuja,” Agbakoba concluded.