DAVID Bonaventure Achelenu Mark, senate president for a historic second term, has another chance at becoming a famous democrat.
After establishing control of the Senate, we had thought he would use the huge goodwill he has generated in addressing issues that would strengthen the federation. No, he is returning to his primal desires of creating States.

Every major politician thinks of a corner of Nigeria to control. Agitations for more States centre on this aspiration. Claims that more States would mean more development could have been true to a point. Costs of maintaining bureaucracies States create now make them unsustainable wastes. Mark may consider a State a befitting parting gift for his Senate days hence a priority for the National Assembly.

Why would anyone create another State when the existing ones are drowning in debt? The only reason is that Mark is a man of his words. He keeps promises. “Let me assure you that the creation of Apa State will be a reality by the grace of God,” he told his Idoma kinsmen at a reception in his honour.

He has good grounds for his confidence. The ease with which the previous National Assembly amended the Constitution thrice is the source of his optimism that the tasking provisions of Section 8 can be lowered to pave way for more States.

Apa State cannot be created in isolation. To maintain constitutional provisions that require two-third majority of States on certain matters, the least number of new States would be six for a total of 42. It could be more, considering trade offs that will lead to the realisation of this ambition.

Mark knows these. A side remark at the reception unveiled him. He cautioned those who asked him to run for governor in 2015 – it was too early. Obviously, he should be running for governor of Apa State while others like him are warming up for spaces that will emerge in their areas.

It would amount to abuse of his position in the Senate for Mark to reduce a serious constitutional matter to his personal agenda. Moreover, state creation, the way he sees it, cannot be the national agenda. There are more pressing matters that require constitutional amendments.

The most important of them is restructuring the federation to make it more workable. Some suggestions in this direction include the collapse of States into regional arrangements such that instead of 36 States, there would be six regional governments of North East, North Central, North West, South East, South South and South West.

Instead of 36 major bureaucracies from ministries to legislative houses, there would be six. The local governments could remain, with less bureaucratic layers than they presently maintain. The logic is that billions of Naira state bureaucracies consume would be used for development.

Constitutional amendments along these lines would restructure Nigeria for a more sustainable future. The short term thinking that has propelled governance must come to an end.

Mark cannot be denied his aspiration to fame, but he can for once turn his attention to the common good, which will not exclude Apa.