NIGERIA has since Independence been subjected to various forms of Government. We have tinkered with parliamentary, presidential and even a bit of diarchy under military President Ibrahim Babangida.

The satisfaction expected from government in terms of improved standard of living has remained largely elusive. It then begs the question whether the problem is in the constitution adopted or the operators of the system. No valid answers ) have been given but the fact remains that Nigerians are groaning under the ever increasingly harsh economic conditions.

Factories are winding up; States are becoming insolvent as they cannot pay recommended minimum wages of public servants. The number of people falling under the United Nations recommended one dollar a day poverty line is increasing. Jobless rate is over thirty per cent. According to Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, former Central Bank Chief: when such economic /political scenarios arise, something must have to give.

The question is, must we wait for that something to give before we take proactive adjustments/reforms for better service delivery? The North African example is far, but also near.

It is based on this emerging scenario that 1 am proposing a three phased approach to structural adjustment and reform to governance.

1.  Legislating into being, Zonal Councils. These Zonal Councils are not to  become a fourth tier of government but a constitutionally backed cooperative union among States in a Zone. The make up of the proposed Zonal Council shall be:-

1. The Governors of the constituent States.
11. The Speakers of the House of Assembly of  Constituent States.
111. One elder Statesman from each of the constituent States.

They shall not be remunerated.
2. Legislation for the review of the Revenue Allocation Formula.
Nigeria has witnessed twelve years of the current unbroken democratic dispensation. It was fashionable and perhaps correct at the beginning of this dispensation to heap all blames on the past military regimes. However, looking at what we have done with ourselves in the past twelve years of democratic governance, more questions than answers have been raised. But for a few bright spots, performance and delivery of democracy dividends have been dismal.

The issue of viability and self sustainability of the individual states in Nigeria is a big question for which no answers have been found. Also of grave concern to Nigerians is the falling service delivery efficiency of the Federal Government and its agencies.

The now dissolved Presidential Advisory Council headed by Rtd. Gen. T.Y. Danjuma put the blame on oversized government. An unbundling of the Federal Government seems inevitable and part of the process is allocating more revenue to the States and local governments with added responsibilities.

3.  Legislation for Zonal Councils to hold Foreign Currency Receipt from Agricultural Export from the Zone.
Various governments in Nigeria have made spirited attempts to increase agricultural output in Nigeria. We are conversant with the famous “Operation Feed The Nation” of Military Government of Obasanjo. The cassava for brcacJ and wheat growing programmes of Gen. Ibrahim Babangida.

In the democratic dispensation of Olusegun Obasanjo, he floated food security and identified three core food items cassava inclusive as having export potential. All told, Nigeria is no way near attaining its agricultural output potential.

Put in other words, it is not likely that reaching potential agricultural output can be facilitated by the Federal Government. Equally, an unsynchronized effort by individual States in the country will not yield the desired effort. The only remedy is a zonally coordinated effort through enabling laws.

The idea of keeping” foreign currency receipts from export of agricultural produce from a zone is to act as incentive. It will also act as quick intervention fund for further investment in Agriculture and other important areas of need of the Zone. Agricultural products are not in the exclusive list.

The benefits of the proposed Zonal Structure are numerous. Apart from enhancing agricultural output, it will bring about optimization of allocation of resources. Nigeria has thirty six States that are pursuing parallel development programmes. There is no synchrony neither with each other nor with the Federal Government. In some Zones all the States there already have teaching hospitals of questionable standard when they could aggregate to upgrade one or two to international standards.

Increased agricultural output apart from increasing job opportunities for our teeming population will provide a raw material base for our industries. These things will impact directly and positively on the living standards of Nigerians.
Finally, with some attention shifted from the centre to the zone, the emerging and growing tension over where a next President would come from will be greatly defused.

Alexander C. Enemo wrote from Onitsha.