Former PDP Presidential aspirant Tafawa Balewa is of the opinion that a shift to Parliamentary system of governship would not help solve the many socioeconomic problems being experienced in Nigeria.
He made this statement in an interview with the News agency of Nigeria on Sunday in Lagos.
He said the country should focus more urgently on restructuring to allow for delegation of power from the federal government to the different zones as this would allow the different zones develop their various strengths and advantages and thereby help them ease the problems being faced in Nigeria.
No (adoption of parliamentary system), but I think democracy has to be modified in Nigeria to be able to represent us.
“To introduce something somewhat new, something radically different will be too costly for us, and it won’t make much sense at this time,” the ex-presidential aspirant said.
Tafawa Balewa proposed that the South West focus on the service industry, the South East on the marine industry, manufacturing and commence, the South South on petroleum and its derivatives and the North on agriculture.
“If we are able to invest properly in those areas, Nigeria will be better. The standard of living will be better.
“We need to be able to do innovation on all those things to be able to keep up with the rest of the world.
“Honestly, I feel that each zone can specialise in particular ideas.
“To develop the different zones for what their specialties are will make Nigeria a much better country, I believe,” he said
The former Presidential aspirant is advocating for a zonal specialization system and not a confederacy with the federal government focusing on the military, foreign services, maintenance of national integrity, representation at united nations and other bodies.
Recall that Nigeria practiced the parliamentary system of government, modelled after the British Westminster system, from 1960 to 1966.
During the period, Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the Prime Minister while Dr Nnamdi Azikwe served as the ceremonial head of state.
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