We Need A United States Of Nigeria - E.A. Adeboye

The Head Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), Enoch Adeboye, has called for a restructuring of the government, suggesting what he called a "United States of Nigeria".

The general overseer said this at a programme jointly organised by the RCCG and the Nehemiah Leadership Institute, with the theme, 'Where will Nigeria be in 2060?'

Adeboye posited that the country will do well to adopt a system of government that is peculiar to it, adding that there is either a restructuring "or we break up".

He said, “Why can’t we have a system of government that will create what I will call the United States of Nigeria? Let me explain. We all know that we must restructure. It’s either we restructure or we break, you don’t have to be a prophet to know that one. That is certain – restructure or we break up.

“Now, we don’t want to break up, God forbid. In restructuring, why don’t we have a Nigerian kind of democracy? At the federal level, why don’t we have a President and a Prime Minister?

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“If we have a President and a Prime Minister and we share responsibilities between these two so that one is not an appendage to the other. For example, if the President controls the Army and the Prime Minister controls the Police. If the President controls resources like oil and mining and the Prime Minister controls finance and inland revenue, taxes, customs, etc. You just divide responsibilities between the two.

“At the state level, you have the governor and the premier, and the same way, you distribute responsibilities to these people in such a manner that one cannot really go without the other. Maybe we might begin to tackle the problems.

“If we are going to adopt the model, then we need to urgently restore the House of Chiefs. I have a feeling that one of our major problems is that we have pushed the traditional rulers to the background and I believe that is a grave error.

“Without any doubt, we must restructure and do it as soon as possible. A United States of Nigeria is more likely to survive than our present structure.”

Speaking on the role of traditional leaders, Adeboye also stated that monarchs should be given prominent roles in the proposed system of government, as they are "the actual landlords".

He said, “Go to any town in Nigeria, everybody in the town knows the paramount ruler in the town and they respect him (but) many of them don’t even know the name of the chairman of their local government.

“The traditional rulers are the actual landlords. They command the respect of their people. Their people will listen to them much more, I am sorry to say, than they will listen to some politicians.”