A former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has issued a fresh and urgent call for Nigeria to return to true federalism, warning that the country risks eventual disintegration if it continues under its current centralised structure.
Speaking at the 14th edition of the Chief Emeka Anyaoku Lecture Series on Good Governance held in Enugu, the 92-year-old diplomat said only a new democratic constitution that genuinely reflects Nigeria’s ethnic, cultural, and regional diversity can guarantee stability and progress.
“This country was more peaceful and developing faster in the first six years of our independence because it had a genuine federal constitution,” Anyaoku recalled. “Each of the four regions had autonomy over their development, social services, and internal security.”
The elder statesman, argued that the prevailing unitary constitution, imposed after successive military regimes, has stifled development, weakened institutions, and diminished accountability.
Anyaoku insisted that restoring federalism would not only enhance good governance but also revive public trust in leadership and reduce agitations for secession or autonomy among various ethnic nationalities.
“The signs are clear—unless Nigeria restructures and embraces a governance system that reflects its complexity and diversity, we risk going the way of other multi-ethnic states that have collapsed under the weight of internal contradictions,” he warned.
However, he urged political leaders, civil society, and the broader citizenry to push for constitutional reforms that will devolve more powers to the regions.
