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Former Head of
Service of the Federation Adamu Fika has suggested that Nigeria should
go back to the parliamentary system of government to ensure good
governance, accountability and rule of law.

Mr Fika, who spoke
over the weekend at the 27th Aminu Kano Memorial Lecture held at
Mambayya House, Kano, said the political logjam being experienced in
the country over the years can only be solved if the country goes back
to the system of government that was obtainable in the First Republic.

Confidence and other benefits

In a paper titled
“the role of opposition in the attempt to establish democracy in
Nigeria,” Mr. Fika explained that the parliamentary system would
guarantee effective opposition and eases off the mounting anomalies
that has characterised the nation’s political space.

He said the shift
to parliamentary system, from the presidential system of government
imposed by the military on Nigerians, will also restore confidence in
the rule of law and the wellbeing of the people.

“The survival of
Nigeria as a genuine democracy with effective opposition and concern
for the rule of law and the welfare and the wellbeing of the ordinary
citizens and residents lies in our return to parliamentary system,” he
said. “We failed to understand and fully the basic principle and
practice of its (presidential system) operations.”

He said that the only way out of the quagmire is to reshape the nation’s political culture and embrace parliamentary system.

The parliamentary
system of government, he said, “provides for effective opposition and
real checks and balances; but also makes it possible for the ordinary
grassroots electorate to have a say in the selection of ministers.”

Formidable opposition

The former civil servant harped on the need for a formidable opposition in the march to political greatness.

“The dominance of
the ruling party with little, if any, opposition has made it impossible
for a balanced political equation to emerge,” he said. “Many states and
even at the national level, governments misuse state security
apparatus, seeking to subdue opposition parties and their members. In
extreme cases, assassinations of political opposition figures have been
recorded, but to date, not a single case has been successfully
prosecuted.

“To make matters
worse, the media have not been spared the dirty political intrigues of
the day. Private media houses that express opposing views are harassed,
temporarily closed, or ostracised by the government; while
publicly-owned media houses routinely deny opposition parties airtime.”

He recalled that the leaders of the opposition during the First
Republic were truly model leaders, who opposed government on
principles, adding that the case is different now as opposition
politicians have become mere political merchants.