Nigeria will now have 54 states as against
the present 36 states should President
Goodluck Jonathan implement the
recommendation of the National
Conference contained in the final report
submitted to the President last week.
According to the recommendation on
creation of additional states, “Alteration
of section 3 Section 3 of the principal Act
is altered – (a) by replacing the existing
subsection (1) with the following as new
subsection (1) -”(1) There shall be fifty-
four states in Nigeria, that is to say, Aba,
Abia, Adada, Adamawa, Akwa Ibom,
Amana, Anarribra, Anioma, Apa, Bauchi,
Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Cross River, Delta,
Ebonyi, Edo, Edu, Piciti, Enugu, Etiti,
Ghari, Gombe, Gurara, Ijebu, Imo, Jigawa,
Kaduna, Kainji, Kano, Katagum, Katsina,
Kebbi, Kogi, Kwara, Lagos, Nasarawa,
New Oyo, Njaba-Anim, Niger, Ogoja,
Ogun, Oil Rivers, Ondo, Ose, Osun, Oyo,
Plateau, Rivers, Savannah, Sokoto,
Taraba, Yobe and Zamfara,” and (b) by
deleting subsections) (2) and (6); and ( c)
in subsection (3) by replacing the word
“third” with the word “second.”
The long standing agitation for the
creation of a mayoral status for the
Federal Capital City was approved, just as
additional two area councils were
approved for the FCT in addition to the
existing six area councils with strong
warning that all compensations be paid.
The conference also resolved that the
Minister of Finance, not the President will
now present the annual budget to the
National Assembly, even as it threw out
recommendation for a unicameral
legislature and voted that the bi-cameral
legislature be maintained.
The report also stated that public schools
taken over by various state governments
across the country 42 years ago would
henceforth be returned to the religious
missions which were the original owners.
The conference further voted in favour of
Modified Presidential System of
Government as recommended by the
committee; described as “home-made
model of government that combines the
attributes of parliamentary and
presidential systems.” The concept has the
potentials of entrenching the principle of
separation of powers as practised in
presidential system and promotion of co-
operation and harmony between executive
and the legislature as operated under the
parliamentary system.
The President elected under the new
system shall exercise full responsibility
for his government and shall select
ministers, not more than 18 of them, from
the six geo-political zones of the country,
and in the modified presidential system
the president shall pick the vice president
from the legislature.
On local government administration, the
conference also voted that states should
own their own constitutions while the
functions of local governments as
contained in schedule 4 of the 1999
constitution (as amended) has been
transferred to the states subject to the
power of the state Houses of Assembly to
add or reduce the said functions of the
local governments.
Conference also voted against the local
government as a different tier of
government, saying that the House of
Assembly of a state may confer other
functions on local government and agreed
that the constitution shall fix the tenures
for local government councils.
Delegates approved the scrapping of joint
state and local government accounts; to be
replaced with a State Revenue
Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal
Commission, adding that the body would
be expected to have as members,
representatives of local government areas
and a chairman nominated by the state
governor for confirmation by the state
House of Assembly.
In addition to the functions conferred on
the local government councils as specified
in the Fourth Schedule of the 1999
Constitution as amended, a state House of
Assembly may by law, confer other
functions on the local government.
Henceforth, and except otherwise
overturned, conference also conferred
financial autonomy on state Houses of
Assembly as a way of freeing them from
direct control by the executive and voted
that for functionality, local government
should be politically and economically
independent.
The report recommended that there
should be complete abolition of the
concept of plea bargain by accused public
functionaries and also agreed for the
establishment of special courts, for
instance, anti-corruption courts to handle
cases involving corrupt practices.
Also in the report, henceforth, anybody
arraigned before the court by EFCC, ICPC
and by any law enforcement agencies, the
accused person is regarded as guilty,
unlike the present situation where he is
regarded as innocent until the accused is
proven not guilty. Now he is regarded as
guilty until he proves himself innocent.
The issue of state police as controversial
as it appeared, a decision was taken that
those who want it should go and have
state police, but those who do not want it,
the recommendation of the conference
was that the present status of the Nigerian
police should remain. But from ASP
downwards should be indigenes of every
state and that on its own, is like state
police.
Churches and mosques
Henceforth, there will be no sponsoring of
both Christian and Muslim pilgrimages to
the holy lands and that churches and
mosques will now pay tax to the Federal
Government.
It was also agreed that payment of
pension, severance, life insurance for
legislators at all levels be cancelled and
according to the delegates, same would
apply to governors and their deputies, just
as lawmakers, governors and their
deputies will now receive salaries and
allowances commensurate to the functions
they perform.
Henceforth, civil servants, who engage in
contract for pecuniary gains, will be
dismissed from service, just as there was
the retention of status quo of retirement
age of 60 for workers in public service.
There was also succour for people living
with disabilities as delegates voted that
governments at all levels should grant
allowances to them which will be
equivalent of government workers on
grade level 06 as that would enable them
employ the services of private aides to
assist them in carrying out some private
and domestic activities.
Also contained in the report is sharing of
funds to the Federation Account among
the three tiers of government should be:
Federal Government (42.5 per cent), State
governments (35 per cent) and Local
governments (22.5 per cent).
www.vanguardngr.com/2014/08/confab-recommends-54-states-nigeria/

I agree with most of their recommendations; especially the scrapping of pension and other benefits for public office holders.

But I don't go with the creation of more states as it will further stretch our already depleted economy especially as most states are not economically viable and depend on FG allocations to survive. Also creation of state police is a no no for me. I believe it will lead to discrimination and maltreatment of non-citizens among other irregularities.

I doubt if Kaduna state government would be willing to return all the missionary schools that have been colonised and re-named

Finally, since this wasn't a sovereign national conference, I doubt if the national assembly would be willing to accent to these recommendations