Every time Nigerians complain about corruption or bad governance, the cry is the same: “If only the President were tougher, things would change.” But here’s the hard truth – Nigeria is a constitutional democracy, not a military dictatorship. The powers of the President are wide, but they are not absolute.
Many of the things Nigerians demand from the Presidency are, in fact, illegal under the 1999 Constitution. Let’s deal with the myths one by one.
Can the President fix Senators’ salaries?
No. Section 70 of the Constitution gives that power to the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), not the President.
Can the President control constituency funds?
No. Section 80 makes the National Assembly the custodian of budgetary allocations. The President cannot dictate their spending once funds are appropriated.
Can the President stop lawmakers from buying cars?
No. Under Section 81, once the budget is passed, lawmakers decide how to spend their allocation.
Can the President discipline or remove members of the House of Representatives?
No. Section 69 allows only the people who elected them to recall them. The President has zero authority.
Can the President prosecute or order Governors around?
No. Section 308 gives Governors immunity from prosecution while in office. Only a State House of Assembly can impeach a Governor under Section 188.
Can the President instruct the Judiciary?
No. Section 6 vests judicial powers in the courts. The President cannot tell judges how to rule or how long a case should last.
✅ The Real Jobs of Local Governments.
Perhaps the biggest misunderstanding among Nigerians is the role of Local Governments. Every one of our 774 LGAs has clear constitutional duties under the Fourth Schedule of the 1999 Constitution.
Local Governments are responsible for:
Cleaning markets, collecting refuse, managing motor parks and slaughterhouses.
Maintaining local roads, drains, streetlights, and cemeteries.
Regulating kiosks, shops, restaurants, and liquor outlets.
Providing public conveniences and sewage disposal.
Registering births, deaths, and marriages.
Licensing bicycles, carts, and wheelbarrows.
Naming streets and numbering houses.
If your streets are dirty, your refuse uncollected, your local markets chaotic, or your drains blocked — that is not the fault of the President. It is your Local Government failing to do its job.
The Bigger Picture:
Local Governments: Handle sanitation, markets, motor parks, streetlights, and primary registration services.
State Governments: Handle secondary schools, hospitals, agriculture, and state roads.
Federal Government: Handles defense, foreign policy, federal roads, central banking, immigration, and national economic planning.
So why do Nigerians hold only the President responsible for everything? The answer is ignorance of the
Constitution.
What Nigeria Really Needs:
The louder the noise on social media, the clearer it becomes: Nigerians urgently need civic education. Many want the President to act like an Emperor who controls Legislators, Judges, and Governors. But that is not democracy; that is Dictatorship.
True democracy thrives when each arm of government is held accountable at its own level. If Nigerians want better governance, they must hold not just the President but also their Governors, Local Government Chairmen, and lawmakers responsible.
Bottom Line:
The President is not a superhero with magic powers.
The Constitution draws clear boundaries, and unless we as citizens start demanding accountability across all levels – federal, state, and local – we will continue to blame the wrong person for the failures of government closest to us.
GOD BLESS NIGERIA AND NIGERIANS.
Please let this piece circulate around for everyone to read and understand so we’ll that we should stop holding only one man responsible for the woes and tragedy we all created as a Nation courtesy of our collective ignorance and negligence.🌷🌷🤷🏽♂️
I come in peace.
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