National Inland Water Ways Bill 2019

Someone once described Higher Education as learning more and more of less and less. It is worrisome that the more people want to move away from Ironsi"s Union Decree, the more thoughtless people want to move Nigeria back to the past.

The Civil war of 1967 to 1970 was fought by giving autonomy to

 Senate President, Ahmed Lawan

minorities. Since then agitations have been mounting for a reduction in the powers of the centre. If the war was won by weakening the regions sure the peace should be maintained by empowering the states.

The Inland Water ways bill run counter to a desire and a clarion call for devolution of powers. It is sad that the over bearing attitude of the centre towards the states makes the idea of rotational Presidency attractive. Otherwise it should matter less where the President comes from.

As a lover of History, I do believe in the theory of stages of economic growth by Walt Whjtman Rostow. One step at a time.

In time we shall move beyond rotational Presidency when it would have been made clear that as a Black Obama could be a US President so every Nigerian is welcome to aspire to the Office of President.

Until then, let us rotate the office of President. While the Federal Government is ultra powerful, the best we can do for now is to devolve less powers to the monster lest we are at the receiving end.

With stronger institutions and a clear cut separation of powers where the Executive does not impose stooges on the Legislature as Heads and the National Judicial Council is alive to its responsibilities in keeping Judges in check free of the meddlesomeness of the Executive, then and only then can we feel safe in the hands of a Powerful head of the Federal Government.

In the mean time, the Nigerian Law Makers can turn attention away from the Inland Water Ways Bill and think outside the box in ameliorating the effects of Covid - 19 on the Nigerian Economy.