Seventy-one members of the House of Representatives have started the move to restructure the country as a bill which they sponsored to amend the 1999 Constitution to return Nigeria to the parliamentary system of government passed the first reading at plenary on Thursday.
The bill came at a time when prominent Nigerians and socio-cultural and political groups were calling for the nation’s governance structure to reflect true federalism.
The bill was laid before the House at the plenary on Thursday.
Addressing journalists, 22 of the sponsors condemned the current presidential system as bloated and expensive, arguing that a parliamentary system would deliver more dividends to Nigerians.
Leading the address, Mr Nicholas Ossai, introduced himself as the secretary of the group of lawmakers while Mr Kingsley Chinda is the chairman.
Ossai said more lawmakers would join “this process to change Nigeria.”
He stated that the country’s economic system had to change effectively.
Ossai listed the economic benefits of a parliamentary system and why the lawmakers wanted to change the governance structure of the country.
He said, “Seventy-one of us sponsored that bill. Our position in this legislation clearly points to compelling advantages of a parliamentary system of government to economic growth and development, as well as its inherent efficiency in the conduct of government business.
“Studies have shown empirically that countries run by presidential system consistently produce lower output growth, higher and more volatile inflation and greater income inequality relative to those under parliamentary ones. Little wonder the rich continue to be richer whilst the poor get poorer, and we have become the poverty capital of the world.”
