The Council of State is an Organ of the Nigerian Government. I've followed their activities curiously since we got back to democracy in 1999 and I see no reason why we should have such a redundant, unnecessary and offensive organ making decisions at the upper echelon of the Nigerian Government.

For examples of such decisions click here, here and here

Let me be clear, The Council of State has former Nigerian rulers plus the Judiciary and a few other officials as members, that IMO, is just Nonsense.

How can we have IBB, OBJ, Buhari, Gowon, Abdusalami and other private citizens and unelected/rejected former leaders making sensitive decisions at that level?

I'm particularly concerned about the inclusion of former Military rulers, coup plotters and rejected politicians. Allowing them to make such decisions as evident via the links above is wrong for our democracy and a slap on our faces. It's like rewarding criminals and giving people with no mandate the power to make presidential decision.

We already have the Executive which includes the elected president and his appointed Ministers, The Legislature and the Judiciary. Why do we need a Council of State?

So if Abacha "The Butcher" was alive, he will be deciding Minimum wage and when to call the Military out too?  WTH!

We pay those former looters enough pension already, If the elected President needs their advice we will call them on individual/personal basis.


BTW as an FYI:  I was a Buhari supporter during the April election campaign and still think he should have been elected but well, GEJ is now the President, and he swore the oath, So Buhari should not be involved in the making of sensitive decisions. We need to stop the padi padi confusion,

Jonathan! Scrap the Darn thing. If it requires a contitutional amendment (I doubt it) then he should send one to the Senate.


Folks, your thoughts? 



BTW, the SSS should be scrapped too IMO, we don't need a Nazi inspired Gestapo-like police force with secret criminal investigation powers.


[img]http://thewillnigeria.com/files.php?file=inside_COUNCIL_OF_STATE_MEETING__4_779515521.jpg[/img]

The council of state is a crude means to smuggle the interests of ex-generals, coup plotters and murderers into Nigeria's "democracy." It is anti-democratic body that has no place in the modern World; it doesn't matter who gets elected, these men would still be there, in government at the highest level.

We all tend to agree on the obnoxiousness of the likes of IBB, Buhari and Abacha (all coup plotters). So why write a body that caters for such people into our constitution?
We also complain about the recycling of the same old faces, yet our constitution guarantees that past cancerous deadwood remains in the system, teleguiding and frustrating more youthful leaders.

We have largely defeated the cabal, so the next logical step is to completely uproot the Council of State to ensure that the cabal does not regroup after GEJ. It is well known that IBB (and to a lesser extent Buhari) is deeply rooted in the cabal. How can a country progress with the mafia perpetually pulling the strings of power?

As for the SSS, I think its fine. Every country needs a secret service.

I think the Council of State is fine! I see it as a ceremonial body that just appends signatures to decisions that have already been taken. They have no real powers so thats fine. Kinda like Buckingham Palace.

I noticed the real reason you have a problem with it is the fact that it is currently filled with ex generals. These guys we all loathe so much would soon all be gone. It is very unlikely that in the next 30 years there would be any Ex General left in the council of state.
Institutions exist for posterity. They are supposed to outlive a generation. The simple fact that the current occupants- IBB, OBJ, BUHARI et al are not exactly our heroes doesn't necessarily mean it should be scrapped!

As per SSS, the institution itself is a failure like virtually every other Government institution. It should not be scrapped but revamped. If the SSS was  living up to its expectations, it would have infiltrated the camps of Boko Haram and all the other bomb groups in the country. But I'm sure they would rather spend their time humping on some roadside CSW than do what they are trained to do.

As an aside, the US, which prides itself as a beacon of freedom has a secret service that literally spies on its citizens. So nothing wrong with Nigeria having one too!

^
Why do I need rejected and "voted out" politicians to append their signatures to federal decisions? it's a redundant, silly idea rooted in out "bigmanism" culture and it encourages stvpid group-think and rewards people with authorities not rooted in accountability.

Also, the SSS should only concern themselves with protecting the president and VP and their families. We don't need them to be in every state as we currently have or spying on the people. The SSS has an evil history of oppressing us and sometimes extra-judicial killings.

The US SSS which I believe we are trying to copy is more of a financial and fraud crime prevention outfit with added responsibility for protecting the President, VP. SSS is not CIA(external intelligence) or FBI (internal federal crime investigations)
If we are going to copy, we should do it correctly.

The CIA has a well stated law that prevents is from carrying out surveillance and intelligence activities within the USA or on US citizens. It is designed for external intelligence duties.

BTW I once heard on NTA that the Council of State approved some billions of dollars in federal Infrastructural projects. I'll look for a good weblink.

Council of State is a stvpid idea, it should be scrapped.

Slight edit: clarification

PapaBrowne you misunderstood my reasons, democracy gives people the power to make leadership choices for very good and fundamental reasons. My objection has more to do with those reasons than with the current folks in the Council of State. Do not assume that Tyrants only Exist in Military regimes.

Never get too comfortable with politicians:

Question; So if the people vote out a corrupt and tyrannical president, he should still be allowed to come to the State house to sign off on federal decisions? 

Council of State = Idio/tic idea

PapaBrowne, my sentiments exactly.

PapaBrowne:

I think the Council of State is fine! I see it as a ceremonial body that just appends signatures to decisions that have already been taken. They have no real powers so thats fine. Kinda like Buckingham Palace.

I noticed the real reason you have a problem with it is the fact that it is currently filled with ex generals. These guys we all loathe so much would soon all be gone. It is very unlikely that in the next 30 years there would be any Ex General left in the council of state.
Institutions exist for posterity. They are supposed to outlive a generation. The simple fact that the current occupants- IBB, OBJ, BUHARI et al are not exactly our heroes doesn't necessarily mean it should be scrapped!

As per SSS, the institution itself is a failure like virtually every other Government institution. It should not be scrapped but revamped. If the SSS was  living up to its expectations, it would have infiltrated the camps of Boko Haram and all the other bomb groups in the country. But I'm sure they would rather spend their time humping on some roadside CSW than do what they are trained to do.

As an aside, the US, which prides itself as a beacon of freedom has a secret service that literally spies on its citizens. So nothing wrong with Nigeria having one too!

The part in bold is why it won't be scrapped

johnie:

PapaBrowne, my sentiments exactly.

You mean you support the existence of a body that wields that kind of power and influence OFFICIALLY with no accountability, remember these are mostly politicians who have been rejected through term limits, the ballot box, or the advent of representative democracy. Why do we still need them wielding that much power officially?

Please if you can, try and justify the part you support in PapaBrowne's post. I'm interested in your reasons.

PapaBrowne:

I think the Council of State is fine! I see it as a ceremonial body that just appends signatures to decisions that have already been taken. They have no real powers so thats fine. Kinda like Buckingham Palace.

I noticed the real reason you have a problem with it is the fact that it is currently filled with ex generals. These guys we all loathe so much would soon all be gone. It is very unlikely that in the next 30 years there would be any Ex General left in the council of state.
Institutions exist for posterity. They are supposed to outlive a generation. The simple fact that the current occupants- IBB, OBJ, BUHARI et al are not exactly our heroes doesn't necessarily mean it should be scrapped!

As per SSS, the institution itself is a failure like virtually every other Government institution. It should not be scrapped but revamped. If the SSS was  living up to its expectations, it would have infiltrated the camps of Boko Haram and all the other bomb groups in the country. But I'm sure they would rather spend their time humping on some roadside CSW than do what they are trained to do.

As an aside, the US, which prides itself as a beacon of freedom has a secret service that literally spies on its citizens. So nothing wrong with Nigeria having one too!

Yes, the ex-generals are part of the reason for bitterness with the body, but there is a more fundamental reason why it should be binned. It must be dumped to preseve the belief by the masses that good issues out of that loftiest of offices for their benefit.

In any successful democracy, reverence for the purity of the highest office is the most powerful tool for engineering patriotism among the masses. As soon as that office is tainted, subconcious doubts and misgivings begin to arise.
Why would a man (Obj) who attempted to subvert the Nigerian constitution by seeking a 3rd term be honoured with a high chair by that same constitution? The same goes for men who siezed the state, held its population at gunpoint and brazenly tore up the law of the land; it is the deepest of contradictions that such men continue to drink and dine at the seat of power.

The psychological picture the Council Of State evokes is one of rewards for brigandage, an alter of invincibilty after rap'ing the people. If we wish to strengthen our democracy, the place must be cleansed, such alters must be torn down and replaced with a wholesomeness the people can believe in and identify with. Its from such little seeds that patriotism grows.

I hate to break this piece of information to those calling for the scrapping of Council of States: In a democracy, you must respect the rule of law, and ALL constitutional provisions. If any interest group believes that any constitutional provision is unreasonable, the right thing to do is to get its elected officials to amend the constitution.

Calling for the Council of States to be scrapped as being done in this thread shows a complete ignorance of the constitution of the Great country of Nigeria.

To refresh your knowledge, here's an excerp from section B of the constitution of the Great country of Nigeria:

B - Council of State

5. The Council of State shall comprise the following persons:

(a) the President, who shall be the Chairman;

(b) the Vice-President, who shall be the Deputy Chairman;

(c) all former Presidents of the Federation and all former Heads of the Government of the Federation;

(d) all former Chief Justices of Nigeria;

(e) the President of the Senate;

(f) the Speaker of the House of Representatives;

(g) all the Governors of the states of the Federation; and

(h) the Attorney-General of the Federation.

(6.) The Council shall have power to:

(a) advise the President in the exercise of his powers with respect to the:-

(i) national population census and compilation, publication and keeping of records and other information concerning the same;

(ii) prerogative of mercy;

(iii) award of national honours;

(iv) the Independent National Electoral Commission (including the appointment of members of that Commission);

(v) the National Judicial Council (including the appointment of the members, other than ex-officio members of that Council); and

(vi) the National Population Commission (including the appointment of members of that Commission); and

(b) advise the President whenever requested to do so on the maintenance of public order within the Federation or any part thereof and on such other matters as the President may direct.

^^ don't be in a haste, I already covered that with a call to GEJ to propose an amendment if necessary.

Thank you for posting that part of the constitution though. So do you support the existence of this Council of State?

ndu_chucks:

I hate to break this piece of information to those calling for the scrapping of Council of States: In a democracy, you must respect the rule of law, and ALL constitutional provisions. If any interest group believes that any constitutional provision is unreasonable, the right thing to do is to get its elected officials to amend the constitution.

Calling for the Council of States to be scrapped as being done in this thread shows a complete ignorance of the constitution of the Great country of Nigeria.

To refresh your knowledge, here's an excerp from section B of the constitution of the Great country of Nigeria:

We are calling for the constitution to be reviewed and the useless body axed. We are saying the same thing in that context, read the whole thread.

^ I often disagree with your politics, but after reading your last post up there; may the Orisas bless you bro.

Beaf:

We are calling for the constitution to be reviewed and the useless body axed. We are saying the same thing in that context, read the whole thread.

@Kilode! & Beaf, you people like to cover una yansh abi? Ok O. I can bet my last million naira that the said provision would be the last to be expunged from the constitution.

Note that the constitution does not give this body the authority to approve anything. They however do just that on a regular basis. The body is only authorized to advise the president, shikena. The question is, will GEJ continue to rubber stamp their ecommedations and allow them to be deemed as approvals and authorizations?

Kilode?!:

^ I often disagree with your politics, but after reading your last post up there; may the Orisas bless you bro.

Lol!

ndu_chucks:

@Kilode! & Beaf, you people like to cover una yansh abi? Ok O. I can bet my last million naira that the said provision would be the last to be expunged from the constitution.

Note that the constitution dos not give this body the authority to approve anything. They however do just that on a regular basis. The body is only authorized to advise the president, shikena. The question is, will GEJ continue to rubber stamp their ecommedations and allow them to be deemed as approvals and authorizations?

Cover wetin? You were in too much of a hurry to post. lol

The body might only be authorised to advice, but it is covered in a lot of filth. While GEJ might not see it as an immediate problem, I pray he tackles it before the end of his term.

ndu_chucks:

@Kilode! & Beaf, you people like to cover una yansh abi? Ok O. I can bet my last million naira that the said provision would be the last to be expunged from the constitution.

Note that the constitution dos not give this body the authority to approve anything. They however do just that on a regular basis. The body is only authorized to advise the president, shikena. The question is, will GEJ continue to rubber stamp their ecommedations and allow them to be deemed as approvals and authorizations?

Why I go dey expose my yansh before, I resemble Strauss Khan?

Anyway,  moving on,

Thank you for posting that part of the constitution, it actually shows how silly the provision is.

Now, why should the Senate President and the Speaker of the House be involved in such a body? On the surface, it might look like a decent association fostering political unity and all that good "pie in the sky" stuff, but to me it is dangerous for our democracy, redundant and unnecessary at the same time.

The House of Assembly should be an oversight body, if there is any objection or assent needed to and for an executive decision or program it should be sought and granted at the House,

There is no reason why we should co-opt the Senate and House leader into a Padi Padi body with the Executive and former rulers, who wrote that nonsense sef? I suspect IBB and OBJ  

It discourages accountable oversight.

It encourages close-minded group-think politicking and policies.

It stifles robust disagreement.

It discourages the expression and propagation of different opinion and ideologies.

Look at some of the functions and responsibilities outlined in the constitution, a lot of them can be politicized and decided based on ideology, cultural worldview and other differences.

What if the president is of a different party and ideology from the Senate leadership? Very possible.

Or let's say the result of a Census has been politicized or manipulated, who does the oversight and where? At the Council meeting, at the Senate?

Or maybe there's a particular public disorder and it's Maintanance is politically charged and based on ideological differences? Which side will prevail? and who will make the decision?

We already have a Senate, House and the Judiciary, there is no need for anyone to form another jeun jeun, chop-I-chop, na we dey dia, ranke-dede, bigmanism inspired Council.

The Council of State is dum/b. It should be scrapped and removed by an amendment.

Thank you to whoever placed this on the Homepage.

Another analogy; The Council of State is like You inviting your fiancee's ex to your house to help you decide on when to do the "nasty" with your her

Analogy: It's also like a village elders meeting filled with Soidisant elders and awon eni eleyas "sconers"

KnowAll:

Can d council of state really sit in unison and harmony when some constitute members turned down d opportunity to grace d President's inauguration. It is no more news that there is a deep emotive discontent and chasim b / w Mr President & Buhari on one hand and MR President & IBB on d other hand.

How does d council of state address absentism? since input from these august members would be weighted opinion disregarding their input wouldn't that defeat d whole essence of this assembly if lesser members can go ahead to profess and accentuate critical decision. I think d Cof S should be scrapped.

Thank you for lending your voice to the call.

i am really impressed on how Nigerians are becoming well informed about what's going on in our country! i swear i did not know there was such thin as Council of States. me is proud to be Nigerian! I just wish we can do more to make our country a better place for our children and many more generations to come.

This is a good idea that won't fly like every good thing in Naija.
The reason is simple; the C of S is serving as a way for the powers that be to protect their on-going interest and arm-twist any erring Aso Rock tenant from mis-behaving and pouring sand in their Garri.
Carrions (even when they fight) do not reject to feast together on a carcass and either some members are disgruntled or not, they won't want their stake taken away and lets hope "we the people" can request the ammendent that will expunge their existence but as I mentioned above, its not gonna happen. JONA is a new transfer to the club and can't mess up his playing chances - UNFORTUNATELY.

Kilode?!:

Why I go dey expose my yansh before, I resemble Strauss Khan?

Anyway,  moving on,

Thank you for posting that part of the constitution, it actually shows how silly the provision is.

Now, why should the Senate President and the Speaker of the House be involved in such a body? On the surface, it might look like a decent association fostering political unity and all that good "pie in the sky" stuff, but to me it is dangerous for our democracy, redundant and unnecessary at the same time.

The House of Assembly should be an oversight body, if there is any objection or assent needed to and for an executive decision or program it should be sought and granted at the House,

There is no reason why we should co-opt the Senate and House leader into a Padi Padi body with the Executive and former rulers, who wrote that nonsense sef? I suspect IBB and OBJ   

It discourages accountable oversight.

It encourages close-minded group-think politicking and policies.

It stifles robust disagreement.

It discourages the expression and propagation of different opinion and ideologies.

Look at some of the functions and responsibilities outlined in the constitution, a lot of them can be politicized and decided based on ideology, cultural worldview and other differences.

What if the president is of a different party and ideology from the Senate leadership? Very possible.

Or let's say the result of a Census has been politicized or manipulated, who does the oversight and where? At the Council meeting, at the Senate?

Or maybe there's a particular public disorder and it's Maintanance is politically charged and based on ideological differences? Which side will prevail? and who will make the decision?

We already have a Senate, House and the Judiciary, there is no need for anyone to form another jeun jeun, chop-I-chop, na we dey dia, ranke-dede, bigmanism inspired Council.

The Council of State is dum/b. It should be scrapped and removed by an amendment.

Not only are the leaders of the Senate and House of Rep involved, the Council of State also "advices" on:

(i) national population census and compilation, publication and keeping of records and other information concerning the same;

(ii) prerogative of mercy;

(iii) award of national honours;

(iv) the Independent National Electoral Commission (including the appointment of members of that Commission);

(v) the National Judicial Council (including the appointment of the members, other than ex-officio members of that Council); and

(vi) the National Population Commission (including the appointment of members of that Commission);

Red is not a bright enough colour. Lol!
Why in Gods Good Name should a bunch of unelected, unappointed individuals advice on CENSUS matters? Damn!
Why would this group be given free reign and more than a peep into govts private matters by "advicing" on something as delicate as membership of the National Judicial Council?
These guys are privy to stuff they shouldn't have a clue about. By extension, they are privy to govt officials in sensitive posts too; so, if one of these fellows decides to turn Rambo, how on Earth is he ever gonna be caught?

(i) national population census and compilation, publication and keeping of records and other information concerning the same;

(ii) prerogative of mercy;

(iii) award of national honours;

(iv) the Independent National Electoral Commission (including the appointment of members of that Commission);

(v) the National Judicial Council (including the appointment of the members, other than ex-officio members of that Council); and

(vi) the National Population Commission (including the appointment of members of that Commission);

You can Imagine Abacha OBJ, or IBB deciding on who gets mercy or pardon? WTF!!! IBB? Pesin wey suppose dey beg for mercy?

Red is not a bright enough colour. Lol!

I don make am brown, because na dorty dorty idea   

Beaf:

Not only are the leaders of the Senate and House of Rep involved, the Council of State also "advices" on:

Why in Gods Good Name should a bunch of unelected, unappointed individuals advice on CENSUS matters? Damn!
Why would this group be given free reign and more than a peep into govts private matters by "advicing" on something as delicate as membership of the National Judicial Council?
These guys are privy to stuff they shouldn't have a clue about. By extension, they are privy to govt officials in sensitive posts too; so, if one of these fellows decides to turn Rambo, how on Earth is he ever gonna be caught?

Dem just they take us play chess, So people who presided over prior possibly manipulated Censuses should now decide and have power to approve new ones?

NJC too?

I think this thing is even more dangerous than I thought, Wey Jonathan phone number? 

Why do we need to bother about elections when the looser might end up making the same sensitive decisions we chased him away from making?

It's like Obama inviting George Bush to help him appoint a new Chief Justice, SMH 

The council of state thing does not make sense to me, imagine how Jonathan will feel seeing the man he rigged out attending a meeting with him, I even salute Buhari for attending the meetings, if na me, the kain look wey I go dey give Jonathan ehn, the guy no go dey comfortable at all.
We all know that the constitution we practise is a military one, until we all sit down to agree on the terms of our unity, we will not be a nation but a collection of interests. The council of state thing should be expunged from the constitution, if a president does not know what he is expected to do then he has no business being our president (GEJ I am looking at you).

@OP, you left out the most important members of the council of state - The State Governors. Nigeria is a federation. a federation essentially derives its powers from the component states that forgo some of its sovereignty for common interest. Most federation like USA, UAE etc actually came into being by different states voluntarily joining the union not necessarily at the same time. i.e. bottom-up approach though Nigeria own is a bit different as it is more of forceful amalgamation of ethnic nationalities later subdivided into political administrative units (states). There is a difference between FEDERAL matters and NATIONAL matters. While the component units of a federation cede their sovereignty to the federal government to exercise powers on their behalf on things that are better commonly done like defence, foreign affairs, currency which are federal matters (called exclusive legislative list in nigeria), Most powers are ideally retained by the component units like education, census, elections, justice system including prison and police within the state jurisdiction, workers remuneration including minimum wage and revenue mobilisation and allocation. These are STATE matters but in some clime like Nigeria, most of these things are done commonly and centrally for many reasons but the powers to make decision on them still reside in the component units (federal and states) Thus they become NATIONAL matters not federal. They are called either exclusive (wrongly) or concurrent legislative (correctly) list in nigeria. The constitutional bodies that exercise such powers on NATIONAL matters in Nigeria are National Council of State, National Economic Council (which is council of state minus heads of state whether present or former. it is headed by the vice president), nigeria police council (president +state governors) and some other bodies listed in the constitution. Former presidents are to lend their 'wealth' of experience to the council of state while the legislative leadership being the representatives of the people in parliament essemble are natural candidates for membership.

^
Thank you for your thoughts. We know what the Council of State's duties are, it's in the constitution, but point remains that it should be scrapped, the duties are redundant and the inclusion of former rulers is daft and stvpid.

Governors need to stick to attracting businesses to their states and making sure people have jobs, let the elected federal Executives and their ministers deal with federal matters. While the legislature provide oversight duties as expected.

There is no need to complicate governance or waste money by creating layers upon layers of redundant responsibilities. We have 150 million mouths to feed.

There is no need for the council of state, you can take a few moments to read the various reasons already posted.

Also, try to separate your post into shorter paragraphs so other folks can read it easily.

The council of state should be retained with the following modifications by the national assembly;

(1)Only democratically elected ex-presidents should be members
(2)Their resolutions should be offered to the president as mere advice and the president should not be obligated to implement any such advice/recommendation
(3)In line with what obtains in a true federalism,governors should henceforth not be members of that council,enough of all these jamborees that constitute drain pipes in our economy

Yap! Scrap the damn thing or better still scrap the whole fake crappy union.

How does scrapping it light up Nigeria?

These suckers wld never allow decisions that doesn't favor them flow, pls scrap the damn "Council of State" and let the thanks go.

SCRAP "Council Of State" JEG

Urgently scrap it & work freely to enable u deliver the required turn around being clamored by Nigerians.

Kilode?!:

^
Thank you for your thoughts. We know what the Council of State's duties are, it's in the constitution, but point remains that it should be scrapped, the duties are redundant and the inclusion of former rulers is daft and stvpid.

Governors need to stick to attracting businesses to their states and making sure people have jobs, let the elected federal Executives and their ministers deal with federal matters. While the legislature provide oversight duties as expected.

There is no need to complicate governance or waste money by creating layers upon layers of redundant responsibilities. We have 150 million mouths to feed.

There is no need for the council of state, you can take a few moments to read the various reasons already posted.

Also, try to separate your post into shorter paragraphs so other folks can read it easily.

Council of state does not deal with federal matters but national matters. Read my post again. It deals with matters that commit or affect the states e.g. minimum wage, elections into the state offices, population census with consequential effect on revenue allocation.

What complication or waste of money are we talking about? Of all the symbol of our federalism, the council of state is the least expensive - almost at no cost. The difference between unitary and federal system of government is the requirement  for consensus of the component units on matters of common interest. That is  formally achieved thru the council.

Let us forsee a situation where africa achieves the proposed common government but no provision is made for Heads of state of component units to ever meet. It will just be like the relationship we have currently between the state and local governments.

I read thru the thread b4 making my previous comment. The impression I got is that some people dont like the face of some members of the Council and if those faces can vamoose, the council can stay.