Former Minister of Information and ex-President-General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, has warned that Nigeria could face disintegration before the 2027 general elections if urgent steps are not taken to restructure the country.
Speaking during a keynote lecture titled “How Did We Get Here?” at the launch of two books by veteran journalist Ike Abonyi, Nwodo criticized Nigeria’s current governance structure, describing it as a “unitary constitution disguised as federalism” that fails to address the nation’s deep-rooted challenges.
The event, held at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja, was attended by several prominent figures, including Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, PDP chieftain Alhaji Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, represented by the Director-General of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Emmanuel Agbo.
Nwodo called for sweeping constitutional reforms, including devolution of powers to regions, resource control by sub-national governments, and the adoption of fiscal federalism. He argued that true democracy and development can only be achieved if regions manage their natural resources and remit royalties or taxes to the federal government to support core national functions like defense and diplomacy.
He warned that failure to implement these reforms before the 2027 elections could lead to serious constitutional crises. “If restructuring does not happen, some regions may boycott the elections or reject the outcome, pushing the nation towards instability,” he said, adding, “If it does not happen, we will have no alternative but to go our separate ways.”
Nwodo also highlighted worsening socioeconomic conditions in the country, including rising youth unemployment, deepening p%verty, and coll@psing infrastructure. Quoting the UN World Population Prospects 2025 report, he said Nigeria now has the world’s lowest life expectancy at 54.8 years. He also cited World Bank data showing the country loses over $1 billion annually due to poor road conditions.
