Tinubu set to receive bill proposing return to regional govt on Friday

Akin Fapohunda, the leader of the Yoruba socio-cultural group Afenifere, is the author of the proposed bill titled “A Bill for an Act to Substitute the Annexure to Decree 24 of 1999 with New Governance Model for the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

This bill aims to introduce new laws, referred to as “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria New Governance Model for Nigeria Act 2024.”

It was gathered that last week, the bill was denied by the House of Representatives.

According to Punch, the spokesperson of the Green Chamber, Akin Rotimi, said the bill had yet to be scheduled for deliberation.

Meanwhile, Fapohunda disclosed to the newspaper that the bill would reach President Tinubu’s desk on Friday.

“I’m submitting my letter (draft bill) today, but I will wait for seven days before releasing it to the public,” he said.

Meanwhile, Fapohunda, who also represents the Coalition of Indigenous Ethnic Nationalities, said the organisation advocates for the country to be divided into eight geo-political regions with provisional boundaries.

According to Fapohunda, the proposed regions include a southern region comprising Akwa-Ibom, Bayelsa, and Cross Rivers States.

This region may optionally include the Annang, Effik, Ekoi, Ibibio, and Oro Ohaji/Egbema in Southern Imo, as well as the Adonia, Efemia, Ijaw, Ogoni, Bini, Ishan, Isoko, Urhobo, and Ijaw-speaking people in Northern Ondo State, maintaining land contiguity.

The South Eastern region comprises Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo States. The Western region includes Lagos, Ogun, Ondo, Osun, Oyo, and Ekiti States, incorporating the Yoruba-speaking people in Kogi and the Igbomina people in Kwara State.

Additional options would be for the Itsekiri people of Delta State and the Akoko-Edo people of Edo State to make their respective choices.

Others include the Mid-Western Region, which consists of Edo and Delta States and possibly incorporates the Anioma people, and the Eastern Middle Belt Region, which comprises Northern Cross River, Southern Kaduna, Southern Borno, Adamawa, Benue, Kogi, Plateau, Nasarawa, and Taraba States.

The Western Middle Belt Region comprises Southern Kebbi, parts of Kwara and Niger States, while the North Eastern Region will be made up of parts of Borno, Gombe, Bauchi, Jigawa, and Yobe States.

According to the Afenifere chieftain, the North Western Region comprises Kaduna and parts of Kebbi, Kano, Katsina, Sokoto, and Zamfara States.