Eminent national leaders, have demanded for a new Nigerian Constitution that would reflect true federalism and address the problem of the country.
The leaders, including former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Afenifere chieftain, Pa. Ayo Adebanjo, members of the National Assembly and former governors, 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 directly elected Constituent Assembly on a non-Party basis for producing a widely desired Constitution for Nigerians.
Sanwo-Olu and the eminent national leaders spoke yesterday, during the National Constitutional Dialogue organised by The Patriots, a pan-Nigerian group of eminent national Leaders of Thought, The Patriots, with the theme: ‘Lawful procedures for actualising a People’s Constitution for Nigeria’, in honour of the Late renowned constitutional lawyer, Prof. Ben Nwabueze.
The event, which was held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos, was attended by Governor Sanwo-Olu, Anyaoku, Adebanjo, the Secretary to the Lagos State Government, Barr.. Bimbola Salu-Hundeyin; members of the Senate, 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).
Others were Constitutional lawyers Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Mr. Tunji Abayomi; President of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shettima; former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), Chief Olabode George and other eminent leaders and pro-democracy activists, Prof. Anthony Kila, Dr. Idika Kalu, Elder Solomon Asemota and Comrade Wale Okunniyi, among others.
Speaking at the event, Sanwo-Olu backed the agitation for a truly federal Constitution for Nigeria to devolve power to the states and charged the National Assembly to put a legal framework in place for the birth of a new constitution that would be determined by the Nigerian people.
He said the conversation around the making of a new constitution should be driven further. “If eminent Nigerians, people who have used better parts of their time serving this country, have a conversation and we cannot take it forward and make sure that we have a complete solution, then we are wasting our time. Given the number of people that are here, we should take this conversation and make it very effective.
“Many speakers have said that it is not the National Assembly that will make those amendments; and it makes a lot of logical sense. It is for the National Assembly to constitute a law where people will come together and make those amendments themselves.
“I stand here as a leader of the largest State. How well do we see the anomalies that we have in our country? Why would a federal agency come to control the water in front of Ozumba Mbadiwe? Why would a federal agency 1,000 kilometers away come to see the needs of my people in Ozumba Mbadiwe? Those are some of the things that we need to take forward and say that indeed, we need to have a true federating State, and be able to amend this Constitution.
“I am a willing convert. Whatever we need to do now, there are so many serving and former governors here; let us make the changes that we desire and let the soul of Prof. Ben Nwabueze rest in peace, because this is something that he fought for over 60 years of his life. And we are still here talking about it. We have the opportunity to make those changes now, and I stand here to say to you that we are willing to work with you to make those changes”.
Sanwo-Olu, who noted an anomaly for a federal agency to control the waterways in Lagos, said it was regrettable that people who are advocates of true federalism suddenly change as soon as they get to the Centre. According to him,, “There is something about the federal that shocks everybody, we need to be bold to unravel what is in the centre. We need to be bold, audacious and forward-looking and address the issues. This is our country and we have nowhere else”.
Speaking earlier, Anyaoku called for a Constituent Assembly to midwife a new Constitution, saying the current 1999 Constitution (as amended) lacks the legitimacy expected in a pluralistic country like Nigeria.
Chairman of The Patriots, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, said the present Constitution is not suitable to address the myriads of challenges confronting Nigeria and called for the adoption of the recommendations of the 2014 national conference, or the conduct of an ‘inexpensive’ Constituent Assembly that would be non-partisan to have a truly federal Constitution.
He said Nigeria has suffered deterioration on many fronts in the area of security of the citizens’ lives and properties, economic well-being of the citizens, infrastructure, including roads and education and health facilities, social cohesion and social values, and the sense of national unity.
Elder statesman and Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, called for the implementation of the 2014 National Conference, which according to him represented how the people of Nigeria want to be governed, considering the representation of the people from different parts of the country that attended the national conference.
He said what Nigeria needs is a brand new Constitution and not the amendment of the current one, which the National Assembly wants to embark on.
