Nigeria Needs New Constitution, Not Amendments says Olisa Agbakoba SAN

A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Olisa Agbakoba, has asserted that the country’s democracy will remain fragile without a significant devolution of powers. He made the call at a press conference in Lagos, where he presented a policy document titled “Devolution is the Solution.”

Mr Agbakoba criticised what he termed Nigeria’s “fatal illusion” of federalism. He noted that thirty-five of the thirty-six states cannot pay salaries without federal support, describing states and local governments as mere distribution centres for federal handouts.

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The senior lawyer commended the government’s economic reforms but insisted they cannot succeed without political restructuring. He stressed that Nigeria requires a new constitution to establish genuine federalism, proposing that states should control their own resources, policing, and solid minerals.

Mr Agbakoba asserted that implementing these reforms could unlock what he called Nigeria’s untapped revenue potential, worth trillions of Naira annually. He said such a transformation could begin within five years, moving Nigeria toward a genuine liberal democracy.