Mike Ozekhome, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), has pleaded with President Bola Tinubu to summon the political will necessary to draft a people-centered constitution for the most populous country in Africa.
The President met with the human rights attorney on Friday at the State House in Abuja. The Patriots are a group of distinguished Nigerians led by former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku.
The senior attorney responded, “Well, he should have the political will because these problems will not go away until we tackle them head-on,” when asked if the President has the will to enact a new constitution.
When asked further if a new constitution is a remedy for the problems facing the Nigerian state, such as poverty, insecurity, and other issues, Ozekhome responded, “It is. The killings you witness, the poverty, and the corruption are all signs of a deeper issue that forms the core of our discussion. Once it’s resolved, other arrangements will be made.
Ozekhome said that there was no referendum on the 1999 Constitution and that it was instead imposed by the military. In order to reroute Nigeria’s “journey of no destination,” he claimed, the nation needs an indigenous and people-centered constitution.
According to him, Nigeria lacks nationhood. “Nigeria is a country still yearning for nationhood. We are not united,” he said. The brand new constitution must be subjected to the referendum of the people, he added.
The senior counsel responded, “We have to have a constituents’ assembly and only the National Assembly can pass a law in that regard,” when asked if Nigeria needed to hold one before adopting a new constitution.
After that, Mr. President will sign the proposed constitution, and we will have one. According to him, “that is how it is going to be” if the populace decides in favor of a unicameral legislature since democracy is decided by the people.