By Christiana Ekpa
Stakeholders on Monday expressed united opinion on the need for Nigeria to adopt an alternative system of democratic governance to the current presidential, which they said has failed the country.
The Parliamentary System Support Group (PSSG), which is of 83 members of the 10th House of Representatives, held its National Dialogue on a Home Grown Parliamentary System of Government on Monday in Abuja, during which the stakeholders expressed their opinions on the current system and its attending effect of lack of accountability and high cost of governance.
The Group through its spokesman, Hon. Abdulsamad Dasuki has however justified its drive for a shift to a Nigerian-styled system of government. “Clearly, we need an alternative. But what should replace this presidential model—a mere imitation of the American system—must be a home-grown solution. This answer is not for any individual or
group to dictate; it must emerge from a genuine dialogue among Nigerians, especially between the young and the old, the new generation and those before them.
“Each of us is affected differently by the dysfunction in our presidential system, and this shared experience invites us all to be part of this aspiration for a new governance model”, he said.
Chairman of the event and elder statesman, Prof. Abdulahi Ango recalled that the parliamentary system of government as bequeathed to Nigeria by the British colonists was working “until some people who were in a hurry (couppists) felt that it was not working, and overthrew it”.
He argued that if the alternative later adopted has failed, answers should be provided to the question of why we failed. “Democracy is very elastic in meaning, so we can have our own home-grown democracy. Adopting the American presidential system was our first mistake”, he said, adding that it is a system that does not fit into our cultural system and other values.”
