Itse Sagay, chairman of the Presidential Advisory Committee
Against Corruption (PACAC), has called for the adoption of the 1963
constitution to address agitations in some parts of the country.
Under the 1963 republican constitution, Nigeria had four
regions — east, north, west, and mid-west — with independent structures that
reflected its peculiarities.
In recent times, there have been calls for restructuring and
return to regional system of government.
Speaking on the development in an interview on Channels
Television on Monday, Sagay said the 1999 constitution should be scrapped.
He argued that the 1963 republican constitution will also
address the concerns on the agitations for restructuring.
“My own personal preference is that we should scrap this
constitution (referring to the 1999 constitution) and adopt the 1963
constitution that can contain everything that is being agitated for now,” he
said.
“We adopt it, with amendments here and there, to make it
accomodate states rather than regions, which we used to have.
“I think all these agitations will die down and everybody
will be happy.”
He narrated how the regional government was in control when
he was in secondary school, adding that he knew nothing about the federal
government.
“When I was in secondary school, I knew nothing about the
federal government, I only knew about Ibadan and Awolowo. The region controlled
my life from A to Z,” he said.
“I knew nothing about the federal government. Everything
worked perfectly, beautifully and happily. So, that is what we are missing.
“The regions competed. Nigeria developed fast. The regions
kept what they produced, sent 20 percent to the federal level, and then 30
percent to a distributable level, which was then distributed to the regions,
according to their needs.
“And everybody was happy. We just have to go back to that.
Otherwise, Nigerians will not enjoy stability.”
Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
Advertise on NigerianEye.com to reach thousands of our daily users
No comments
Post a Comment
Kindly drop a comment below.
(Comments are moderated. Clean comments will be approved immediately)
Advert Enquires - Reach out to us at NigerianEye@gmail.com