By: Adekunle Victoria
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Nigeria is set to undergo a major political and administrative restructuring under a proposed arrangement that would give the country’s six geopolitical zones constitutional recognition as official organs of government.
Under the proposed restructuring, each of the six geopolitical zones would consist of seven states, bringing the total number of states in Nigeria to 42. The Constitution would also prohibit the creation of additional states after the establishment of the 42-state structure.
The proposed restructuring is expected to begin on October 1, 2026, with the country gradually migrating towards the new system. As part of the proposed restructuring, the existing federal allocation regime would be abolished and replaced with a resource-control system, while the states would remain the federating units.
Revenue distribution under the proposed arrangement would be as follows: states would receive 50 per cent, the Federation Account would receive 20 per cent, the geopolitical zones would receive 15 per cent, while 15 per cent would be allocated to a National Trust Fund.
The new arrangement is expected to give states and geopolitical zones greater financial responsibility and encourage them to develop and utilise the resources within their territories.
Regional Police
Security would also be decentralised under the proposed system.
Each geopolitical zone would be responsible for maintaining regional police forces that would complement the activities of the Nigerian Police Force.
The regional police would focus on addressing security challenges within their respective zones while working alongside the existing national police structure.
Electricity Generation and Distribution
Another major responsibility of the geopolitical zones would be electricity.
Each zone would be constitutionally responsible for generating, distributing and transmitting electricity within its domain.
This would give the geopolitical zones greater control over their electricity infrastructure and enable them to develop power systems based on the needs and resources available within their territories.
Rotational Leadership
The leadership of each geopolitical zone would rest primarily with a committee of governors representing the seven states within the zone.
The chairmanship of each zone would rotate annually among the seven governors. A chief executive would also be appointed to manage the civil service structure of the geopolitical zone.
The geopolitical zones would have committees of commissioners responsible for different sectors, including education, health, housing, transportation and security.
Healthcare Development
Healthcare would also become an important responsibility of the geopolitical zones.
Each zone would be responsible for secondary specialist healthcare and would establish specialist hospitals to provide medical services to people within the region.
These specialist hospitals would be expected to provide treatment and services in areas such as oncology, HIV/AIDS, renal care, dementia, reproductive health and dermatology.
A New Direction for Nigeria
The proposed restructuring would introduce a different approach to governance in Nigeria by transferring more responsibilities and resources from the centre to the states and geopolitical zones.
It is expected to promote regional cooperation, strengthen resource control, improve security and encourage development in critical sectors such as electricity, healthcare, education and transportation.
The proposal represents a significant vision for the future of Nigeria’s federal system. If implemented, it would change the relationship between the Federal Government, geopolitical zones, states and local governments and could mark a major shift towards greater regional autonomy and decentralised governance.