Sixty members of Nigeria’s House of Representatives are pushing for a return to the parliamentary system of government. They argue that it would make for the efficient utilization of the country’s resources.
Nigeria adopted the presidential system in 1979 19 years after independence from Great Britain, borrowing from the model of the United States of America. The Representatives, from different party affiliations, think the American system has been nothing but a huge failure.
“Over the years, the imperfections of the presidential system of government have become glaring to all, despite several alterations to the constitution to address the shortcomings of a system that has denied the nation the opportunity of attaining its full potential,” the bill introduced at the House on Wednesday read.
“Among these imperfections are the high cost of governance, leaving fewer resources for crucial areas like infrastructure, education, and healthcare, and consequently hindering the nation’s development progress, and the excessive powers vested in the members of the executive, who are appointees and not directly accountable to the people.”
The lawmakers said they had high hopes that Nigeria would transition to the parliamentary system by 2031. A similar bill that pushed for the abolition of the presidential system in 2018 was jettisoned by the legislature, according to TheCable.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
