Proposed Bill Seeks Return to Regional Government in Nigeria by 2024

A bill proposing a return to regional government in Nigeria is currently before the National Assembly and is expected to be passed into law before October 1, 2024. 

Part of the draft bill circulating on social media, seen by SaharaReporters, is titled "A Bill for an Act to Substitute the Annexure to Decree 24 of 1999 with a New Governance Model for the Federal Republic of Nigeria."

Although the identities of the sponsors of the bill have not been ascertained, the bill, when passed, would be cited as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria New Governance Model for Nigeria Act 2024.

 The sponsors of the bill explain that the current Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as Amended) is not "autochthonous" as it does not evolve from the deliberations and consensus of the Nigerian people.

According to the advocates, the constitution amendment would be subject to a "yes or no" vote in a referendum by the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The bill proposes that the National Assembly shall expunge the schedule attached to Decree 24 of 1999, often referred to as the 1999 Constitution as amended, and replace it with a new governance model for Nigeria effective not later than October 1, 2024. This amendment is also subject to a yes or no vote in a referendum by the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

Additionally, the sponsors propose that Nigeria shall be a Federation comprising of Regional Territories and a Federal Capital Territory and shall be a Republic to be known by the name of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The territorial jurisdiction of Nigeria shall comprise the territory of the Regional members of the Federation, and its boundaries shall be as determined by international agreements.

Furthermore, the bill proposes that every Ethnic Nationality and People in Nigeria has an unconditional right to self-determination within delineated territories and the right to a full measure of self-government, which includes the right to establish institutions of government in the territory that it inhabits and to equitable representation in the Federal and Regional Governments.