Fashola Cautions Against Rushing Into Parliamentary System

Former Nigerian Minister of Power, Works, and Housing, Babatunde Raji Fashola, has called for a rigorous approach to the debate on whether Nigeria should adopt a parliamentary system of government instead of the current presidential system.

Gatekeepers News reports that Fashola, who spoke at the 30th anniversary of the founding of the law firm of Yusuf Ali & Co in Ilorin, Kwara State, argued that the country needs to learn from its past experiences and apply evidence-based decision making to its developmental challenges.

Fashola, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), noted that the demand for a change in the system of government is part of the ongoing conversation about restructuring Nigeria, but warned that the country must be careful not to repeat past mistakes.

He argued that the parliamentary system failed Nigeria in the past and that the country needs to understand why it failed before adopting it again.

He also pointed out that some of the reasons adduced by proponents of a parliamentary system, such as cost reduction and improved economic outcomes, can be achieved under a federal arrangement with sincerity of purpose and elite consensus.

Fashola tasked Nigerians to think deeply and ask themselves if they are the problem rather than the system.