Photo caption: Chief Emeka Anyaoku
Elder statesman and former Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has renewed his urgent appeal for Nigeria to adopt true federalism, warning that the country risks disintegration if it continues under its current centralised structure.
Speaking at the 14th Chief Emeka Anyaoku Lecture Series on Good Governance in Enugu on Tuesday, Anyaoku stated that only a new democratic constitution that reflects Nigeria’s diversity can save it from the fate of other multi-ethnic states that have collapsed under similar strain.
“This country was more peaceful and developing faster in the first six years of our independence because it had a genuine federal constitution,” he said. “Each of the four regions had autonomy over their development, social services, and internal security.”
Anyaoku, 92, stressed that Nigeria’s unitary constitution has hindered good governance and national development, reiterating that without a structural overhaul, the nation remains at risk.
“Other multi-ethnic countries that failed to address their pluralism through federalism have since disintegrated. Nigeria must not continue along this path,” he warned.
The event, with the theme “The Imperative of Good Governance: Nigeria in a Global Comparative Perspective”, also featured other prominent voices calling for constitutional restructuring.
A former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maj. Gen. Ike Nwachukwu (retd.), who chaired the occasion, echoed Anyaoku’s concerns, asserting that Nigeria’s centralised system is fundamentally flawed.
“This is why I have long been advocating the restructuring of Nigeria into a proper federation,” he said. “State autonomy is critical—it brings governance closer to the people and enables them to harness their local resources for development.”
Nwachukwu also championed reforms in security and education, stating, “I stand for the creation of state police and community-based policing. Our school system must also be reformed to produce relevant human capital for development.”
In his keynote address, Nigeria’s former Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, called for a radical rethinking of governance, starting with structural changes.
“There is an urgent need to significantly devolve power to the people through restructuring,” Gambari said. “We must also rejig the leadership recruitment process, retool the state to serve as a guarantor of security and unity, and foster a new elite consensus.”
Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, who welcomed participants, emphasised that practical leadership must replace political rhetoric.
“Good governance—or the lack of it—is often the fine margin between a rising state and one in decline,” Mbah said. “Good intentions do not equate to good leadership. The people must be at the centre of policies and projects if we are to truly develop.”
The well-attended lecture series, hosted by the Youth Affairs International Foundation, reignited a national conversation on Nigeria’s constitutional future, with a resounding consensus that only true federalism can preserve its unity and ensure progress.
