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Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and other prominent Nigerians, including former Commonwealth Secretary-General, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; Afenifere chieftain, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, members of the National Assembly and former governors yesterday clamoured for a new Nigerian Constitution that would reflect true federalism and address the problems of the country.
The event, National Constitutional Dialogue, which held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Victoria Island, Lagos, with the theme, “Lawful procedures for actualising a people’s constitution for Nigeria” was a colloquium in honour of Prof Ben Nwabueze Nigeria’s foremost constitutional lawyer, who died recently.
Until his death, Prof. Nwabueze was the chairman of The Patriots, a pan-Nigerian group of eminent national leaders of thought, now headed by Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Secretary General of the Commonwealth.
They said Nigeria has two options in getting a truly federal constitution by either adopting the recommendations of the 2014 National Confab or go for a relatively inexpensive Constituent Assembly on a non-party basis for producing a widely desired constitution for Nigerians.
They resolved to meet with President Bola Tinubu to get his buy-in and also liaise with the leadership of the National Assembly on the matter.
Welcoming the participants to the colloquium, Anyaoku who chaired the National Dialogue said Nigeria is a pluralistic country that is still struggling to become a nation with assured political stability and progressive socio-economic attainments.
He said Nigeria had failed to develop like other pluralistic countries in the world because of its inability to devolve powers to federating units.
According to him, other pluralistic countries are far ahead of Nigeria in terms of development because they have implemented true federalism.
“First, Nigeria is a pluralistic country that is still struggling to become a nation with assured political stability and progressive socio-economic development.
“The fact from across the world is that some pluralistic countries have succeeded in becoming developed nations while other pluralistic countries have failed and disintegrated.
“The lesson from this is that pluralistic countries, which have succeeded in becoming nations, have generally practised true federalism with considerable power devolved to the federating units.
“This fact was acknowledged by our founding fathers who negotiated painstakingly and agreed on the Independence Constitution of 1960-1963,” Anyaoku said.
He said Nigeria’s present constitution lacked the legitimacy that should flow from a democratically-made constitution.
The diplomat added that the constitution had proven to be unsuitable for tackling many of the serious challenges confronting our country.
He said: “It is a widely recognised fact that the crucial areas of the country have significantly deteriorated and continue to deteriorate.”
Anyaoku said Nigeria had suffered deterioration in many fronts in security, healthcare, education, economic well-being of the citizens and infrastructure.
He said that the country had equally suffered in the area of social cohesion, social values and the sense of national unity.
He said that Nigeria had the option of getting a truly federal constitution by adopting the recommendations of the 2014 National Confab organised by President Goodluck Jonathan.
“Or we go for a relatively inexpensive directly elected constituent assembly on non-party basis for producing such widely desired constitution,” he said.
In his welcome speech, chairman of the organizing committee, Dr. Kalu Idika Kalu, former Minister of Finance, lamented that after 64 years of independence so many issues such as citizenship, unwholesome North/South divide, political rights, religion and freedoms, accountability in governance, security, etc., still remain outstanding.
The keynote speaker, Prof Mike Ozekhome, said the 1999 Constitution is leprous and “even one million amendments by the National Assembly cannot cure it of its leprosy.”
Ozekhome tasked the National Assembly to set up a National Referendum Commission that would collate all recommendations towards driving a new constitution.
He said: “We must take this conversation and make it very effective. It’s for the National Assembly to constitute a law where these people would come together. It’s something very simple. Why do we have a federal agency controlling waterways in Lagos?
“You would see state officials fighting the same course, the moment they get to federal, they change 360 degrees. I’m wondering what is going on, what’s happening. I don’t know what’s happening.”
According to him, there is a mystery about the central government which must be unravelled.
“There’s something about the federal that shocks everybody, we need to be bold to unravel this. Let us be able to make the change we desire. Let the soul of Prof. Ben Nwabueze rest in peace.”
The event was attended by Governor Sanwo-Olu, Chief Anyaoku, Pa Adebanjo, the Secretary to the Lagos State Government; Senators Aminu Tambuwal and Gbenga Daniel; former Governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Donald Duke (Cross River), James Ibori (Delta), Victor Attah (Akwa Ibom) and Rauf Aregbesola (Osun).