Nigeria inching towards modified presidential system?

The debate on the most suitable system of governance for the country continued at the national confab on Tuesday, with a number of delegates canvassing a modified presidential system, which mixes elements of both the presidential and parliamentary systems.

Speaking during the day’s session, Dr. Peter Odili, former governor of Rivers State, observed that the presidential system has brought many challenges to government.

He therefore argued that other systems practised in other countries — such as a fusion of presidential and parliamentary — deserve to be considered.

While advocating a system that all Nigerians will embrace, he demanded that all shades of opinion on the issue should be expressed and examined before any decision is adopted.

“Those that introduced the presidential system had the best interest of the nation at heart, but the practice has caused us problems,” Odili said.

“The presidential system is not only expensive to operate, it also has the tendency to lead to dictatorship, as it creates room for too much power to be under the command of one individual. In terms of checks and balances, parliamentary system of government is more effective.”

He urged the country to adopt a “modified presidential system that embodies parliamentary system,” saying it will help to reduce waste while guaranteeing stability of government.

Also speaking, Engineer Abdulkadir Kure, former governor of Niger State, supported a hybrid of the presidential and parliamentary systems.

“We cannot afford to change government regularly,” he said. “We should have a system whereby the president will come from one section of the country, while the prime minister will come from another part of the country.”

However, Professor Issa Baba Mohammed cautioned against experimenting with too many systems of government, saying the committee should instead focus on serious adjustments in terms of looking at the present system and examining how to improve it.

At the end of the debate, a 10-man sub-committee to be chaired by Air Vice Marshall Moukhtar Mohammed was inaugurated, to harmonise the different proposals on the discussion. The committee is to submit its report on Wednesday.