LAGOS (Realist English). Prominent Nigerian lawyer and former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, Olisa Agbakoba, has called for an urgent overhaul of the country’s political and administrative systems, warning that the current constitutional framework is “dysfunctional” and incapable of delivering progress. In an interview with The Guardian Nigeria, Agbakoba stressed: “The first step is to admit that the Constitution doesn’t work.”
Agbakoba criticized over two decades of stalled reform efforts, stating that since 2000, “not a single significant constitutional change has taken place.” He proposed replacing the current structure of 36 states with eight constitutional regions, including a distinct Middle Belt region, arguing this would reduce the burden on Abuja and empower the regions to drive national development.
He pointed to Nigeria’s mismanagement of its oil wealth as the root cause of systemic poverty. “International corporations own our wells and take the profits. We must switch to a model like Saudi Aramco, where ownership remains with the state and foreigners provide only technical services,” he said.
Agbakoba also criticized Nigeria’s bloated federal bureaucracy, stating that 70–80% of the national budget is spent maintaining a civil service of over 3 million people. He described this as an “unsustainable model” and proposed a drastic reduction in the number of federal ministries to ten. Questioning the relevance of some departments, he cited the Ministry of Information and Ministry of Interior, noting: “The federation is funding prisons that hold a single detainee — Nnamdi Kanu. It’s absurd.”
While supporting the removal of fuel subsidies, Agbakoba condemned how the savings were used, arguing they went toward debt servicing rather than critical sectors like infrastructure or education. “For 25 years we’ve been repeating the same mistakes — and all we get is poverty and debt,” he said.
He also slammed the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA) as ineffective, calling it “a dead law.” He noted that while the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) is presented as a private entity, it still acts as a regulator — a dual role that undermines transparency and revenue generation. “This creates a massive conflict of interest,” he warned.
Amid rising public frustration, Agbakoba urged the federal government to act with what he called “Trumpian urgency,” citing how the British Parliament can pass emergency laws within a day. “Nigeria is in a state of permanent emergency. We don’t have the luxury of time,” he said.
In closing, he advocated for stronger support of domestic industry and protection of the national market against cheap imports. “Without a solid manufacturing base, we’ll remain a country paying rent when we could be taking out a mortgage,” he said. “We need fewer speeches and more action.”
