The group, God and People Prayer Parliament, led by its convener, Dr. Dele Oluwatade, said the proposal seeks to reposition Nigeria from a highly centralised federation to a coordinated confederal system that reflects the country’s ethnic, cultural, and economic diversities.
Under the plan, the country would be restructured into seven semi-autonomous republics including Biafra, Hausa, Oduduwa, Midwest, Kwararafa, Borno, and Niger Delta; each exercising substantial control over internal governance, resource management, and security operations, while operating under a lean central authority responsible for defence, foreign policy, and macroeconomic coordination.
Oluwatade explained that the proposal is anchored on the imperatives of nation-building and conflict mitigation, arguing that Nigeria’s current federal structure has struggled to effectively respond to multi-dimensional security threats, including insurgency in the North-East, banditry in the North-West, and separatist agitations in the South.
“The centralised command-and-control system has overstretched federal institutions and weakened subnational capacity for rapid response,” he said. “A confederal arrangement will enhance regional security architectures, promote intelligence-driven policing, and empower constituent units to take ownership of their safety and development priorities.”
From a socio-economic standpoint, the group maintained that decentralisation would unlock regional competitiveness by allowing each republic to harness its comparative advantages ranging from agriculture and solid minerals to maritime resources and industrial capacity within a coordinated national framework.
This, it argued, would stimulate balanced development, reduce fiscal dependency on the centre, and deepen economic resilience.
The proposal also emphasized political inclusion and governance efficiency, noting that devolving powers to the regions would reduce bureaucratic bottlenecks, strengthen accountability, and encourage participatory governance at the grassroots level.
It further called for the institutionalisation of mechanisms such as referendums and clearly defined inter-governmental protocols to manage disputes among the federating units.
Analysts viewed the development as part of a broader resurgence of restructuring advocacy, increasingly driven by concerns over national cohesion and the sustainability of Nigeria’s current political economy. With demographic pressures, economic headwinds, and evolving security challenges, calls for systemic reform have gained momentum across civil society, policy circles, and regional stakeholders.
However, experts cautioned that transitioning to a confederal system would require a comprehensive constitutional overhaul, extensive stakeholder engagement, and a phased implementation strategy to mitigate risks associated with political fragmentation and economic dislocation.
For the Tinubu administration, the proposal has introduced a critical policy question at a time when governance reforms are expected to shape the trajectory of the 2027 electoral cycle.
Observers noted that how the government responds to such initiatives could influence public confidence, inter-regional relations, and Nigeria’s long-term stability.
As debates around restructuring intensify, the confederation proposal adds a new dimension to national discourse; one that underscores the urgent need to reconcile unity with diversity, strengthen institutional capacity, and build a more adaptive governance framework capable of meeting Nigeria’s complex 21st-century challenges.
