'Nigeria's challenges beyond constitutional amendments'

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For Nigeria to overcome its myriad of socioeconomic and leadership challenges, stakeholders and leaders of thoughts across ethnic, religious and political divides must allow a re-negotiated consensus and national rebirth to address foundational issues stalling the progress of the country.

This approach will go a long way to take the seeming inadequacies and deficiency in the 1999 Constitution bequeathed to the nation by the military.

These were the submissions of the former Nigerian Ambassador to the Philippines, Dr Yemi Farounbi and a technocrat, Deacon Owolabi Oladejo, during the 3rd Distinguished Eminent Personality Lecture, organised by the Political Science and International Relations Department of Bowen University, Iwo, Osun State.

Farounbi, who was the chairman of the lecture, said: “Almost every Nigerian has one thing to complain about the country, ranging from corruption, bad governance, wobbling economy, insecurity, among others. Many believe our challenges are foundational, tracing it to the 1999 Constitution by the military.

“But our situation has worsened such that Chinua Achebe concluded in his book that ‘There was a Country’.
Several attempts have been made to amend the constitution by successive governments.

“However, solution to Nigeria’s problems goes beyond constitutional reforms. Today, we have to look at a new Nigeria we want to see. It is time for us to begin a new discussion that Olabisi Onabanjo started in 1993, when journalists christened constitutional reforms and amendments.

“Some people talk about federalism. Many interpretations have been given to true federalism. But in Nigeria, the Federal Government created the federating units, which is wrong. It is important for us to sit down and have a clear definition of how we want to live together. Some Nigerians and major stakeholders are canvassing for restructuring. What are we restructuring and how are we restructuring? These are probing issues we must interrogate,” he remarked.

In his lecture, which had in attendance the vice chancellor of Bowen University, Iwo, Professor Jonathan Babalola, among other principal officers of the institution, Oladejo advised President Bola Tinubu to set up the National Rebirth Commission.

Recalling that the nation’s woes predated 1960 to 1966 Republic, Oladejo, who is also the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IBR FM Radio, Ibadan, sighted the position of the sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, on the identity of the country, which was described as mere geographical expression owing to the domineering influence of the colonial imperialists.

According to him, “Restructuring a nation is a complex and multifaceted process. The Federal Government should set up the National Rebirth Commission (NRC). The state should also establish the State Rebirth Commissions (SRCs) to re-establish autonomous regional structure as obtained in the 1959 (Independence) Constitution, only that there should now be six regions.

“Nigeria requires a political governance structure with an equitable power structure, a hybrid homegrown democratic governance structure with the element of parliamentarianism, “Oladejo added.

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