At this juncture, it is absolutely clear that Nigeria cannot go on with the level of mutual suspicion between north and south for too long, it damages the country both internally and externally and hinders progress. Not to mention causes violence! So if the VP position has been rendered useless and powerless by OBJ's excesses against Atiku, we should scrap it and create an office of the Prime Minister. every four years, there will be an election for the office of the president and anyone can contest irrespective of region, religion or ethnicity. THIS IS WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING.

If the president elected happens to be from the south, then upon being sworn in and the national assembly resuming, the senate will be tasked with the responsibility of appointing a prime minister from the north to compliment a southern president (could be vice versa) only after a two thirds vote in the senate can a prime minister be appointed. The prime minister's tenure will run concurrently with that of the president, 4 years per term renewable for another for years but a maximum of 8 total allowable years. the office of the PM automatically loses its worth if it is subject to being appointed by the president.

The President will control Defense, foreign affairs, security and the economy (this includes all departments of state that pertain to the economy or economic development such as agriculture, petroleum etc). The Prime minister who can only be removed from office through impeachment will control the civil service (meaning office of the SGF will be scrapped) national planning and  the federal capital territory (fct ministry will be scrapped) The president shall appoint a total of two thirds of the cabinet while the PM will appoint the remainder. The president will have the exclusive preserve of appointing the ministers that pertain to his jurisdiction (stated above) the PM has the right to fill at most 30% of the "capital project" cabinet positions such as works, agriculture, housing and urban development, energy/power etc (could be a state or federal minister)

The president will remain the "top dog" but the PM will have significant powers too and true power sharing can be achieved between the major interests of Nigeria. The PM's office is a complementing, cooperative one and not a rival to the president's office. The president will naturally have more legitimacy as a result of direct elections but the PM will nonetheless be a contributing and effective office not a ceremonial and portfolio lacking one as is the vice president's office. This will go far in appeasing the regional interests in the belief that they're not being left out of the power game and by extension not being ruled by the "other"

Thoughts,

Dude, calm down. You guys will soon get used to progress and development.
I guess you are just scared that almajiri's will soon be properly educated and marriage to 11 year old "brides" will soon be halted. Theres nothing wrong with these things, sir.

By the way, the system we need is called TRUE FEDERALISM, not some Russian voodoo.

gadogado:

At this juncture, it is absolutely clear that Nigeria cannot go on with the level of mutual suspicion between north and south for too long, it damages the country both internally and externally and hinders progress. Not to mention causes violence! So if the VP position has been rendered useless and powerless by OBJ's excesses against Atiku, we should scrap it and create an office of the Prim Minister. every four years, there will be an election for the office of the president and anyone can contest irrespective of region, religion or ethnicity. THIS IS WHERE IT GETS INTERESTING.

If the president elected happens to be from the south, then upon being sworn in and the national assembly resuming, the senate will be tasked with the responsibility of appointing a prime minister from the north to compliment a southern president (could be vice versa) only after a two thirds vote in the senate can a prime minister be appointed. The prime minister's tenure will run concurrently with that of the president, 4 years per term renewable for another for years but a maximum of 8 total allowable years. the office of the PM automatically loses its worth if it is subject to being appointed by the president.

The President will control Defense, foreign affairs, security and the economy (this includes all departments of state that pertain to the economy or economic development such as agriculture, petroleum etc). The Prime minister who can only be removed from office through impeachment will control the civil service (meaning office of the SGF will be scrapped) national planning and  the federal capital territory (fct minister will be scrapped) The president shall appoint a total of two thirds of the cabinet while the PM will appoint the remainder. The president will have the exclusive preserve of appointing the ministers that pertain to his jurisdiction (stated above) the PM has the right to fill at most 30% of the "capital project" cabinet positions such as works, agriculture, housing and urban development, energy/power etc (could be a state or federal minister)

The president will remain the "top dog" but the PM will have significant powers too and true power sharing can be achieved between the major interests of Nigeria. The PM's office is a complementing, cooperative one and not a rival to the president's office. The president will naturally have more legitimacy as a result of direct elections but the PM will nonetheless be a contributing and effective office not a ceremonial one as is the vice president's office.

Thoughts,

What if the President orders the military to do something (possibly controversial) and the Prime Minister strongly objects and attempts to stop the action or issues contrary/opposing statements or orders? After the Prime minister is unable to do anything, and the action is carried out, the Prime minister is a sitting and exposed enemy or source of opposition to the President within the President's own government.

If you don't already get why I'm painting this scenario, I'll make it explicit: I'm making an allusion to both the constitutional crisis between Zik and Balewa and the recent heated disagreement between Putin and Medvedev over the invasion of Libya by Western forces.

The first is relevant because it was a clash between interests or perspectives of different regions (or at least their political representatives) on what was right with respect to a national situation.

The second example is relevant because it was a disagreement over what was right with respect to an international situation.

I'm not sure that polycephaly is really an ideal characteristic for the executive branch of a government.

^^^^ The whole thing is designed to allow the president more power, the PM's office is to serve as a glorified VP's office but with an actual portfolio not just a figure head VP. The PM's office appeases the region that is not producing the president due to the belief that it is not entirely left behind!! but the PM will no that there are great chances of him loosing any political battle with the president and wont try it!! its cooperative not a rival office.

gadogado:

^^^^ The whole thing is designed to allow the president more power, the PM's office is to serve as a glorified VP's office but with an actual portfolio not just a figure head VP. The PM's office appeases the region that is not producing the president due to the belief that it is not entirely left behind!! but the PM will no that there are great chances of him loosing any political battle with the president and wont try it!! its cooperative not a rival office.

1. What's the relationship between the actual VP and the Prime Minister? That is, what's their ranking with respect to one another? If the president is incapacitated, who takes over government? I would assume it's the VP, but I can see a situation where the PM could claim the right to head the government because of experience or something. . .

2. Appeases the region? You're assuming a North-South scheme here, but what about rotation within regions? Is the SE necessarily "appeased" because a SW man or woman is made Prime Minister and vice versa? Is the SS necessarily "appeased" because a SE man or woman is made Prime minister? Is someone in Kwara or Kogi state "appeased" because someone from Borno is made Prime minister?

3. You stated:

"The President will control Defense, foreign affairs, security and the economy (this includes all departments of state that pertain to the economy or economic development such as agriculture, petroleum etc)."


But also stated:



"The Prime minister who can only be removed from office through impeachment will control the civil service (meaning office of the SGF will be scrapped) national planning and  the federal capital territory (fct minister will be scrapped) The president shall appoint a total of two thirds of the cabinet while the PM will appoint the remainder."


You don't see a contradiction between assigning economic development to the president and assigning national planning to the prime minister? Are these things unrelated? What do you mean by national planning? Also, what would the PM need 1/3 of the cabinet for?


4. The issue is not who would win the political battle, but whether regionalism/sectionalism, an "unreasonable" perspective on foreign or domestic policy, or gross incompetence and bad decision making by one of the two leaders (especially the more powerful one - which is the president in your scenario) could make the other leader strongly opposed to his or her actions. The result would be a crisis, but this time not merely along political lines, but with an added North-South (or other relevant regions) element to the tension.

Whatever model you choose will not work for the elites (PDP) that control NAIJA have an iron grip on the country, and will disease and manipulate to their own gains. It is not an ethnic issue but an ELITIST one.

However these elections showed that PDP can be broken. 10 million Victory margin is nothing when there was blatent inflation of numbers in favour of PDP. Plus the SW didnt really vote so there is hope yet

@physicMHD

There will be no vice president, and if the president is incapacitated then the PM takes over and calls for elections within a certain time frame not to exceed 9 months or so!
As I said, the PM is collaborative with the president's office therefore, national planning will ensure that the PM has some say in the economy! He'll basically assume responsibility for what the current ministry of planning does! The functions and duties of the national planning commission (note even a ministry) are quite distinct from the Finance ministry and the CBN (the two major limbs of the economy)! the two overlap a little but each has a clear mandate! The national planning commission plans and recommend courses of action most particularly in the long term!! national planning involves providing statistics and figures, its supposed to be a research based organization!! I dont see a contradiction

WHy should we appease a region for not having someone in power? there are close to 200 ethnic groups, does that mean we should 1 president and 199 vice presidents. ridiculous.


lets make this system work by enforcing its laws not by trying workarounds.