The APC, Nigeria and federalism

THE report of a committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), which has recommended the devolution of powers, resource control, state police, amongst others, is likely to be one of the clearest demonstrations of political progress in this country, when implemented. For a country fixated on a dubious heritage of militaryimposed unitarism and its attendant complications, the recommendations of the APC have rightfully called to question Nigeria’s long and treacherous practice of its own contrived form of federalism. As if in response to The Guardian’s many editorials which have consistently insisted on the necessity of federalism and taxed the ruling APC to live up to its promise of change, the panel has come up with proposals for the truthful implementation which should see Nigeria on the path of unity, prosperity and progress.

While the APC has earned the applause of Nigerians with these recommendations, the party and its leaders should be told in clear terms that implementation processes must be set in motion without delay. The future of Nigeria and her democracy depends on it.

Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-rufai, who led the APC committee at the presentation of the report to the John Oyegun-led National Working Committee of the party, affirmed that the committee recommended some constitutional amendments to be implemented. According to him, the argument for proposing the establishment of state police and devolution of powers in the country’s federal system was hinged on the premise that: “We all come from different histories, different cultures, different administrative systems, and we believe that the constitution should ensure that there is a democratic local government in every state.” On the committee’s recommendation for resource control, El-rufai stated: “We have proposed that mining, mineral, oil should go to the states.”

This, of course, is a very cheering revelation, for it is about the first time, since 1956, that such recommendations of utmost national import would be made. Despite the fact that no party has ever done this, these recommendations are coming after years of denials and needless vacillation by the ruling party.

Even though the report’s component on restructuring conflicts with President Muhammadu Buhari’s rejection of restructuring, the proposals contained in the panel report are not new to the APC and should not be seen to be so. They are consistent with the provisions of the manifesto of the ruling party. In that all-embracing manifesto, APC promised Nigerians that, if voted into office, it would amongst other things, “initiate action to amend our Constitution with a view to devolving power, duties and responsibilities to states and local governments in order to entrench true Federalism and the Federal spirit.”

The APC manifesto also stated that, upon assumption in office, the party would “begin widespread consultations to amend the Constitution to enable States and Local Governments to employ State and Community Police to address the peculiar