‘Why Nigeria needs new constitution’

Human rights activist and Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Governing Council of Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko, Dr Tunji Abayomi, has expressed concern over the 1999 constitution, saying a new constitution for the country has become imperative for Nigeria to progress.

In an open letter to the political leaders of Nigeria titled: “What we need, What needs to be done” a copy of which was made available to journalists on Tuesday, Abayomi noted that what Nigeria needed now is a new constitution that would guarantee good governance for the greater interest of all Nigerians and not the reviewing or amending 1999 Constitution.

He said we can all agree that notwithstanding the stress and concern of the present, we all will be happier if Nigeria was a much better nation with regard to the wealth of the nation, the well-being of her people, her position in the world and her banner of unity, cohesion and liberty and Health.

Abayomi, however, lamented that Nigeria is certainly afraid of its future which lays before her with a sombre challenge.

According to him, the 1999 Constitution came by dictatorship and force, it can never guarantee peace, order or good government, consequently, the time is now, not tomorrow to take a new redeeming look at our nation’s most important government document that is the Constitution.

The constitutional lawyer noted that the National Assembly should be sincere with Nigeria by forgetting her worthless amendments for a worthwhile constitution-making for the people.

He maintained that the duty of the National Assembly would be enough if it helps Nigeria to have a People’s Constitution instead of wasting Nigeria’s resources to correct a gravely uncorrectable error inherent in the making of a Constitution by the military government.

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Abayomi stressed that in the last few years much efforts and national wealth have been committed to what the National Assembly calls “Constitutional Amendment” we know of course that illegitimate Constructional is neither amenable nor amendable. A Construction is legitimized not by its content but by the procedure of making a Constitution.

“How do you amend a military Constitution to originate it in the people, the proper and legitimate makes of the Constitution?

“So contrary to the norms in democracy, it was not a Constitution that gave us our democracy at least in 1999. It was a military government of dictators that wrongly gave us a Constitution and a government. Time has indeed come to correct this grievous error and the only body that can legitimately remedy the error of Constitutional wrong-making is the National Assembly.

“To unlock the great potentials of the Nigeria what is now needed is for the National Assembly as a Public duty to learn the lessons of change that the political leaders of other nations have learnt by bringing about a law to enable the people of Nigeria to truly give to themselves a Constitution.”

He, therefore, called on leaders of Nigeria that the destiny of Nigeria is in her Constitution saying that the current Nigeria Constitution is a fraud on the people of the nation.

“In short what Nigeria needs is a Constitution of the people, by the people and for the people. It is certainly reasonable and sensible that we should have a consensus on how to manage Nigeria our collective,” he added.