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UPDATED: We made a fatal error adopting presidential system -Prof Abdullahi

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2 years ago

November 11, 2024

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…says Nigeria expired ten years ago

By Gloria Ikibah

A former Vice Chancellor , Professor Ango Abdullahi has said Nigeria made a fatal error by adopting the Presidential system of government.

He made this assertion at the just National Dialogue on a Home Grown Parliamentary System of Government in Nigeria on Monday in Abuja.

The 86years old Professor also noted at the Dialogue that Nigeria expired in 2014, 100years after the Edict establishing Nigeria as an entity expired

“For me, that was our first mistake. For us to bring a system that did not fit our history, did not fit our traditions, did not fit our experience either as under colonial government or under our own independent state, we did not. Yet, we were not allowed to even discuss it.

“If I can remember here my classmate, a very eloquent sociologist, Dr. Ibrahim Tahir. Up to his death, he insisted that it was a mistake for us to bring in the American presidential system to Nigeria, because it did not work for us.

“And if the parliamentary system had not worked for us just after using it for five years, now we have experienced the presidential system for 24 years.

“The government is here to testify. 24 years. With due respect, I think our situation is worse than under the parliamentary system that we rejected just after trying it for four or five years.

He explained: “So, this dialogue here should really be as objective, as passionate as possible. Look at some of the things that we did wrongly. And one of the things we did wrongly was to bring in a system that did not fit our situation.

“And if we can, and we should, and we can, then we should work on something. It may not necessarily be the typical parliamentary system you find in our former colonial masters. It could be something else.

“Why? Why did you fail, if we failed at all? Why did the young boys who decided to uproot it, do so? And so on. These are the various questions that ought to be resolved very, very clearly, but unfortunately, for a number of reasons, this was not the case.

” The country almost broke up, and thanks to some elders and some soldiers, Nigeria remained after 1966, but without continuing a crisis that ended up in a civil war, which again, was eventually resolved.

“General Gowon, head of state for who led the country for nine years, did extremely well, together with elders in his cabinet, or rather, in his government, rather than cabinet, there are elders, Shifaholo, Malam Aminu Kano, and the rest of them, were working very closely with General Gowon, that made it possible for him to run this country for nine years, including the crisis we went through in the civil war.

“It is of interest to note that for those nine years, Nigeria did not borrow a couple from outside. You wonder why? But that’s not for me, but for the dialogue people to really reveal a lot of things that have gone wrong since then, never mind what happened.

“Then, after Gowon’s nine years, there was a decision to reverse to what people call democracy. Democracy has very elastic meaning. Every country in the world today claims democracy.

“America claims democracy. China claims democracy. Most countries claim democracy.

“So democracy must have multiple meanings, flexible meanings, and so on. So it’s right for us here to ask what kind of democracy do we want to have?

“And it’s also right to insist that we can have a homegrown democracy, and our children who are versed in a lot of things should be able to do so. But then, there was a transition between military and civil, and there was a disagreement in terms of how this would happen.

“To my mind, that was our first major mistake. I was a candidate. I was one of those who should have been in the constituent assembly of 1975-76 to discuss the constitution that would transition us from military rule to civil rule.

“I remember our elders, then Malam Aminu Kano and others, who gathered around in Lagos to say that the military leaders have insisted that there would be no discussion on parliamentary democracy.

“The constituent assembly was not to discuss parliamentary democracy. The constituent assembly should go and borrow or find a presidential system outside the country.

“I think what they had in mind, and I think up to now, the two parliamentary systems that fall over the place, the American and the French, and eventually we opted for the American presidential system.

“Well, to my mind, America has just had an election a few days ago, and to my mind, it did not demonstrate democracy. It demonstrated election, but it did not demonstrate democracy.

“If I can remember here my classmate, a very eloquent sociologist, Dr. Ibrahim Taher. Up to his death, he insisted that it was a mistake for us to bring in the American presidential system to Nigeria, because it did not work for us.

“And if the parliamentary system had not worked for us just after using it for five years, now we have experienced the presidential system for 24 years.

“The government is here to testify. 24 years. With due respect, I think our situation is worse than under the parliamentary system that we rejected just after trying it for four or five years.

“But definitely, the presidential system has not worked for us. And it should be possible for us to be less sentimental, more objective in really bringing this out clearly. And there are questions I would like to ask, especially those who would be on the panel to tell us yes or no.

“I will ask these questions later to illustrate the point that the presidential system has failed Nigeria over the last 24 years. And there is need for us to change to something else. Thank you very much.

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INEC extends PVCs collection in Ekiti for 72hours

Published

9 hours ago

June 11, 2026

Kayode Sanni-Arewa

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By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ekiti State Office, on Thursday announced the extension of the ongoing collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) has been extended from Friday, 12th June to Sunday, 14th June 2026.

The was contained in a statement by the state Resident Electoral Commissioner, Dr Bunmi Omoseyindemi in Ado Ekiti

The statement read: “The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Ekiti State Office, wishes to inform all registered voters in the State that the ongoing collection of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) has been extended from Friday, 12th June to Sunday, 14th June 2026

“The extension is intended to provide an additional opportunity for eligible voters who are yet to collect their PVCs to do so before the Governorship Election scheduled for Saturday, 20th June 2026.

“Collection of PVCs will continue at the designated Local Government Area Offices of the Commission during official hours. Voters are advised to collect their PVCs personally, as collection by proxy will not be permitted.
INEC urges all registered voters who have not collected their PVCs to take advantage of this extension, as the PVC remains the only means of identification for voting on Election Day.

“The Commission remains committed to ensuring that every eligible voter is given the opportunity to participate in the electoral process.”

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Trump Stops Scheduled Bombings Against Iran

Published

9 hours ago

June 11, 2026

EMMANUEL AGAJI

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US President Donald Trump on Thursday said he was calling off strikes on Iran and flagged the signing of a possible deal with Tehran after top-level talks.

“Based on the fact that discussions with the Islamic Republic of Iran have been brought to the highest level of Iranian leadership and approved, I have… cancelled the scheduled strikes and bombings against Iran this evening,” Trump said on his Truth Social network.
“Time and place of the signing to be announced shortly,” he added.

Iran Warns Of ‘Endless Quagmire’

Iran had warned Washington on Thursday that it risked wading into an “endless quagmire” of war and soaring energy prices, after Trump vowed to launch a new round of airstrikes and to seize an island oil terminal.

Iran’s chief negotiator in talks with the Americans, parliamentary speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, issued his stark warning after the two sides exchanged overnight fire and Trump threatened that US forces would hit “VERY HARD TONIGHT”.

“Wrong strategies and impulsive decisions will reset the entire board for the worse, explode energy infrastructure and markets and create an endless quagmire that you will be stuck in for years,” Ghalibaf said.
The war, which began on February 28 with a wave of US-Israeli strikes on Iran, was paused under an April truce, but efforts to hammer out a permanent end to the fighting have since stalled.

US forces have also, since the ceasefire, hit radar arrays and disabled Iranian ships, and Tehran has maintained a chokehold on shipping through the Strait of Hormuz.

“At some point in the not too distant future, we will be taking Kharg Island, and other oil infrastructure points, and assume total control of their Oil and Gas Markets, much like we have with Venezuela,” Trump said, in a post on his own social media platform, referring to a Gulf island that hosts Iran’s biggest oil export terminal.

General Ali Abdollahi, head of the Iranian military’s central headquarters, warned that “if the United States once again seeks to carry out attacks against heroic Iran, it would receive a harsher response than before, and the flames of war, in addition to creating insecurity in the region, will become more widespread and far-reaching”.
The conflict has destabilised oil and gas prices, fuelling inflation and fears of recession in many economies.

On Thursday, the World Bank lowered its global growth forecast to its lowest level since the coronavirus pandemic, predicting it would drop to 2.5 percent in 2026, from 2.9 percent last year.

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Akpodiete Hails Rt. Hon. Fred Agbedi on Appointment as House Minority Leader

Published

10 hours ago

June 11, 2026

EMMANUEL AGAJI

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Hon. Dr. Olotu Akpodiete JP, who’s vying for the Ughelli North, South and Udu Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives, has sent his congratulations to Rt. Hon. Frederick Agbedi. Agbedi’s new role as Minority Leader was announced today during plenary by Speaker Rt. Hon. Tajudeen Abbas.

Dr. Akpodiete said Agbedi’s emergence shows the trust and confidence his colleagues have in him. He described the new Minority Leader as dependable, strong-willed, and a politician of principle who acts on conviction rather than convenience.

Rt. Hon. Agbedi represents Sagbama/Ekeremor Federal Constituency in Bayelsa State. Before this appointment, he led the PDP Caucus in the House and also served as Bayelsa PDP chairman. He remains a committed PDP member and believes the party has a vital role as a strong opposition.

Akpodiete said he’s confident Agbedi will use his experience, competence and character to serve the House, the legislature, and Nigerians well.

Signed:
Hon. Dr. Olotu Akpodiete JP
House of Representatives Candidate Hopeful
Ughelli North, South and Udu Federal Constituency