By Disun Amosun
Prominent Stakeholders have reached a consensus on the need for Nigeria to adopt an alternative system of governance as against the current Presidential system, which they opined in its current form and practice, has failed to deliver the much expected dividends of Democracy.
This represents the Take-Home from a National Dialogue organized by the Parliamentary System Support Group (PSSG), comprising 83 members of the 10th House of Representatives.
The Group through its spokesman, Rep. Abdulsamad Dasuki has however justified its drive for a shift for a home grown system of governance, stating that “Clearly, we need an alternative to the ongoing presidential model—a mere imitation of the American system, a system which must emerge from a consensus among Nigerians, old and young.”
“Each of us is affected differently by
the dysfunction in our presidential system, and this shared experience
invites us all to be part of this aspiration for a new governance model,”, he said.
Chairman of the event and elder statesman, Prof. Abdulahi Ango recalled that the parliamentary system of government as bequeathed to Nigeria by the British colonists was working “until some people who were in a hurry – coupists – that felt it was not working, overthrew the Tafawa Balewa led parliamentary government, leading to a long integrum of military rule that eventually truncated Parliamentary System of governance in Nigeria.
“Democracy is very elastic in meaning, so we beed have our own home-grown democracy. Adopting the American presidential system was our first mistake, it is a system that does not fit into our cultural system and other values” the prof added.
He stressed that if the parliamentary system did not work in just after four years before it was overthrown in the first republic, Nigeria is worse today after over 24 years of running the presidential system, with the same result.
In his contributions on the occasion, former Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola reiterated his support for calls to ditch the Presidential system of government in Nigeria and return to the Parliamentary.
Marshalling his points, the former Minister of Interior insisted that arrangements in the Parliamentary System are presently best suited for for a country like Nigeria, given her peculiarities.
“An individual, no matter how brilliant and endowed could have the capacity to effectively govern 120million people all alone without checks and balances, given the all encompassing executive powers vested in the Nigerian president under the Presidential system of government.
“I believe the the collective arrangement which the Parliamentary System guarantees is best for a country such as ours if we are committed to advancing the interest of our large population and the course of the nation” Aregbesola said.
Also, former National Secretary of the defunct Action Congress (AC), Dr. Usman Bugaje saluted the courage of the group of lawmakers for bringibg the issue to the fore, advising however that the focus should be broadened, “The last 25 years has not given Nigerians what they expected-poverty is deepening, insecurity is escalating, there’s mind-boggling corruption”, he said, adding that the idea of a home-grown system was in order, and that anyone who keeps borrowing foreign loans will end up being enslaved.
