Constitutional and human rights lawyer, Prof. Mike Ozekhome, SAN, has said that most Nigerian states are not viable and therefore sees no justification for the creation of additional states in the country.
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Speaking in Abuja on Saturday during a “Walk for Wellness” campaign organised by the Mike Ozekhome Chambers, the senior advocate called for a complete overhaul of the 1999 Constitution, describing it as a product of the military class and a “skewed federal template” that entrenches a unitary system of governance under the guise of federalism.
According to him, “Some of us are now saying rather than create more states we should collapse the present structure into about six geopolitical zones, which should serve as regional government.”
He argued that a parliamentary system built around regional governance would be more beneficial and development-oriented, as it would foster competition among the regions. “Right now, no state is competing. All of them just go to Abuja at the end of the month to take from the federation account to share,” he lamented.
Ozekhome criticised what he described as a culture of “sharing without production,” saying Nigeria has become a nation that only consumes without creating. “Nigeria is a sharing country that is not baking anything because they don’t care or even know how to bake anything,” he said.
Citing the rich but underutilised mineral resources in the country, Ozekhome noted that Nasarawa State has over 36 types of mineral deposits, followed by Plateau with 28, with Sokoto and Kaduna also richly endowed. Yet, he said, the entire country continues to rely heavily on crude oil, which he warned is fast losing its global value.
The constitutional lawyer proposed that if the current state structure must be retained, the states should serve as federating units, with local governments left under state control. “We should have two tiers of government — federal and state — while local governments should be under the purview of the states,” he said.
However, Ozekhome acknowledged a singular exception to his stance against state creation. “The only state I will have said should be created right now should be in the South East, to bring them to equity with other geopolitical zones in the country,” he said.
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