Mr. Muhammad Dele Belgore, SAN, C. Arb, shared his thoughts on the recent actions of President Muhammadu Buhari which have very positive implications for the country.
Neil Armstrong walked on the moon on the 20thTh July 1969, and famously uttered these famous words, “That’s one small step for mankind, one giant leap for mankind.”
Hyperbolic to describe the events that happened recently is a giant step for humanity. It is clearly not that, but nevertheless it is a blind step. It is not the crippling currency crisis and the enormous hardship that has caused to the general Nigerians. It’s also not just the end of the general election and reverberating effects. This giant step may have more far-reaching consequences than the currency crisis or the election or even a combination of the two. And it is largely unknown. The event was the signing into law by President Muhammadu Buhari, on the 3rdrd March 2023, from 3 laws.
The first is the Federal Constitution of Nigeria, 1999 (Fifth Amendment (no. 16) Act 2023, which is an Act to move the item. “railroad” and related matters from the Exclusive Legislative List (a list that contains all the things that only the Federal government can do) to the Joint Legislative List (a list that contains all the things that the Federal government and the State governments can do in terms of legislative. powers). According to this law, the State Assembly can now make laws for the State regarding the construction and maintenance of State railway operators, maintenance of railways and interstate railway infrastructure. This can be a trigger for development that reminds us how the development of railroads in America played an important role in the economic, social, and cultural growth of the country.
Muhammad Dele-Belgore. Photo: www.delebelgore.com
Railroads provide a more efficient means of transportation for goods, which allows businesses to expand markets and access new territories. This leads to increased trade, economic growth, and job creation. Railroads made it easier and faster for people to travel and live in other areas of America, which helped to open new areas for agriculture and industry. Railroads facilitated the movement of people from rural areas to urban centers, which led to urban growth and urban economic development. Railroads provided a physical connection between different regions of the country, which helped foster a sense of national unity and identity. There is no reason why the liberalization of the railway system to the United States in Nigeria and its partner countries cannot bring similar developmental benefits to many parts of the country.
The second is the Federal Constitution of Nigeria, 1999 (Fifth Amendment (no. 17) Act 2023, which allows the State to generate, transit and distribute electricity in areas covered by the national grid. Nigeria requires each state of the federation to be able to generate its own power for some reasons. First, producing power at the State level will allow for the diversification of resources, which will ensure that the country is less dependent on one resource. Currently, Nigeria is very dependent on the power produced. from natural gas, which is produced mainly in the Niger Delta region. This dependence on a single resource makes the country vulnerable to disruptions in the production and distribution of natural gas. Second, the current power generation and distribution system in Nigeria is inefficient. , causing frequent power outages and load shedding. By allowing each country to produce its own power, the system it can become more decentralized, which will help improve power, reliability and k quality of resources. Three, States with abundant natural resources, such as wind or solar energy, can use these resources to generate power, which can be used to power local industries and businesses. This can help create jobs, promote entrepreneurship, and drive economic growth at the national level. Fourth, currently, Nigeria is vulnerable to natural gas supply disruptions, which could affect electricity supply. By diversifying resources and generating power at the country level, countries can become more resilient to these disruptions and ensure a more stable power supply. However, all these activities require significant investment in infrastructure and require cooperation and coordination with neighboring countries to ensure efficient and effective energy network management.
Muhammad Dele-Belgore. Photo: www.delebelgore.com
The third is the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (Fifth Amendment (no. 6) Act 2023. This Act seeks to provide for the financial independence of the State House of Assembly and the State Judiciary. The benefits of financial autonomy for the judiciary in a democratic federalist system are immeasurable. ensure that the judiciary is not influenced or controlled by other branches of government and allow the judiciary to be independent. This allows the judiciary to manage its own resources and make decisions about how best to allocate them. All this should strengthen the rule of law and help maintain its integrity legal system, an important ingredient for democracy and good governance. It promotes independence, accountability, efficiency, improved access to justice, and strengthened the rule of law.
The liberalization of the railway system, the power of the State to generate, transmit and distribute its own electricity and the financial autonomy of the State judiciary are all acts of restructuring of the body politic and the system of government. This has been done, not through a very political, divisive and rancorous national conference, but through strong and clear-minded rules made with strong political will. But more than that, they show that many can achieve with eternal beneficial consequences, without inflaming our frayed collective regional, ethnic and religious nerves.
According to the news credited to the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, 35 constitutional review bills were sent to President Buhari, but he only agreed to 19. What bills were not approved and why the President refused the approval is a matter that we will study fully. For now, supporters of a strong federalist system should give credit to the 3 bills mentioned here and hope that there are more similar to the 19 that were not approved and more to come in the future.
Muhammad Dele Belgore is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria. Find out more about him here.