THE pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, has criticised the Federal Government’s ongoing efforts to amend Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, describing the move as “cosmetic,” “unrealistic,” and “a waste of national energy.”
Speaking in an interview today, Dr. Akin Fapohunda, the group’s Director of Research, said the proposal to amend the constitution in about 74 areas and alter 83 clauses within six months was impractical and lacked sincerity.
“The Federal Government wants to amend the Constitution in about 74 places and change 83 clauses. Do they have the capacity to do that before the next election? Can the 36 state assemblies process that number of bills in a few months? The whole exercise is headed for the garbage can,” he argued.
Last month, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Abbas Tajudeen, had announced at a national public hearing in Abuja that the chamber was determined to succeed where past assemblies failed in amending the Constitution.
He promised diligence, fairness, and transparency throughout the process and assured that state assemblies would be engaged “respectfully and transparently” to secure concurrence.
However, Dr. Fapohunda dismissed the initiative as politically motivated, accusing elites of using the amendment process to pursue personal interests—especially the proposal to create 46 new states.
“They want to create 46 new states so there will be more governors, more security votes, and more SUVs to buy,” he said. “They’ve given us enough reasons to believe they’re not serious. What they are doing is purely cosmetic.”
The Afenifere researcher also downplayed ongoing calls for state police, insisting that Nigeria’s governance structure needs full decentralisation rather than piecemeal adjustments.
Outlining his vision for meaningful reform, Dr. Fapohunda proposed four key constitutional changes he believes could “radically transform Nigeria within six months.”
He suggested the following steps:
Codify a true federal constitution and distinguish the Abuja (federal) constitution from that of the second-tier governments.
Establish the six geopolitical zones as the second tier of governance, each with its own constitution reflecting local peculiarities.
Reduce the Exclusive Legislative List from 68 to 12 items, devolving the remaining responsibilities to the zones.
Conduct a national referendum within three to four months to review and adopt the new framework.
According to him, such reforms would ease political tensions, empower regions to manage their resources, and promote balanced development.
“Once that happens, the temperature will drop. The North will control their gold, the South-West their IT, the South-South their oil, and people will stop fighting to control Abuja,” he said.
Dr. Fapohunda concluded by criticising President Bola Tinubu’s approach to governance, arguing that he is “pretending to run Nigeria from Abuja” rather than promoting true federalism that distributes power equitably among the regions.