Anyaoku warns: Nigeria risks breakup without federal reform

Anyaoku

Elder statesman and former Commonwealth Secretary General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has renewed his urgent appeal for Nigeria to adopt true federalism, warning that the country risks disintegration if it continues under its current centralised structure.

Speaking at the 14th Chief Emeka Anyaoku Lecture Series on Good Governance in Enugu on Tuesday, Anyaoku stated that only a new democratic constitution that reflects Nigeria’s diversity can save it from the fate of other multi-ethnic states that have collapsed under similar strain.

“This country was more peaceful and developing faster in the first six years of our independence because it had a genuine federal constitution,” he said. “Each of the four regions had autonomy over their development, social services, and internal security.”

Anyaoku, 92, stressed that Nigeria’s unitary constitution has hindered good governance and national development, reiterating that without a structural overhaul, the nation remains at risk.

“Other multi-ethnic countries that failed to address their pluralism through federalism have since disintegrated. Nigeria must not continue along this path,” he warned.

The event, with the theme “The Imperative of Good Governance: Nigeria in a Global Comparative Perspective”, also featured other prominent voices calling for constitutional restructuring.

A former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Maj. Gen. Ike Nwachukwu (retd.), who chaired the occasion, echoed Anyaoku’s concerns, asserting that Nigeria’s centralised system is fundamentally flawed.

“This is why I have long been advocating the restructuring of Nigeria into a proper federation,” he said. “State autonomy is critical—it brings governance closer to the people and enables them to harness their local resources for development.”

Nwachukwu also championed reforms in security and education, stating, “I stand for the creation of state police and community-based policing. Our school system must also be reformed to produce relevant human capital for development.”