Nigeria as a nation cannot prosper under the 1999 Constitution as amended, according to former Commonwealth secretary-general Emeka Anyaoku.
The Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, located on Victoria Island in Lagos, hosted the book launch of “The Noble Academic and Patriot: A Biography of Emeritus Professor Akinjide Osuntokun,” where Anyaoku spoke.
The older statesman asserted that Nigeria must abolish its current constitution and devise a new one in order to go forward.
He said that, contrary to what many people had assumed, it would be challenging for any leader to fix the country under the previous Constitution.
According to him, “To those who believe that the political leadership is the problem with Nigeria today, I would say that as long as we have the 1999 Constitution as our foundation, neither Angel Gabriel nor Malaikah Jibrin as leaders can successfully tackle the divisiveness, the underperforming economy with the resulting poverty, the insecurity, the giant corruption, and the other major challenges currently facing Nigeria.”
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Anyaoku characterized Nigeria as a pluralist nation, stating that its people are made up of several ethnic groups with distinct histories, customs, dialects, and faiths that have long lived in their own regions.
“The universal lesson is that pluralistic countries that have achieved unity and progress as a single political entity are those that addressed their pluralism, that is, their diversity, with genuine federal constitutions,” he said. Canada, Switzerland, and India are a few examples of such nations.
“I think that a truly federal constitution is necessary if our pluralistic Nigeria is to attain true unity and political stability, as well as to effectively address the significant challenges that the nation is currently facing,” he stated.
