New Telegraph

Nigeria needs a new people’s constitution – Don

A university professor has said that Nigeria needs a people’s constitution to address the concerns of the diverse groups in the country. The lecturer at the Department of Peace, Security and Humanitarian Studies, University of Ibadan, Prof Isaac Albert said the 1999 Constitution lacks strength, capability, credibility and prospect to unite the country.

Speaking at a symposium organised by the Students’ Historical Society of Nigeria (SHSN) University of Lagos Chapter on ‘Building a Nation within the State: A Focus on Nigeria’s Security Challenges,’ Albert said the 1999 Constitution only protects the narrow interest of a select few. He said all efforts made since the 1999 transition to civil rule to have the constitution reviewed and the conflict issues in the country discussed and resolved have been frustrated by the groups advantaged by the system.

He said: “The administration of Chief Olusegun Obasanjo organised the 2005 National Political Reform Conference (NPRC) and President Goodluck Jonathan convened the 2014 National Conference to address some of the issues. Both dialogue processes came up with far-reaching recommendations on how to move Nigeria forward but not even the organisers of these conferences were committed to implementing their recommendations when they had the opportunity to do so.

“The present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari is equally not interested in adopting the recommendations of the conferences. It regularly wards off the pressure to have its own national dialogue.”

On his part, a senior research fellow at the Institute of African Diaspora Studies, University of Lagos, Dr Kayode Eesuola said religion is one of the factors hindering development in the country. He said that the country is gradually becoming a failed state. According to him, to describe Nigeria as a state grappling with the problem of nation-building is to admit that Nigeria is a state whereas it is not.

Eesuola said to discuss nation-building in the Nigerian context, the state’s structures must be functional and effective, else, no discussion on nation-building will be productive.

“Historically, the dysfunctionality of the Nigerian state has its antecedent in the way she was formed. Lord Lugard and Flora Shaw did not involve the Nigerian people in the formation of what later became Nigeria. What Lugard and his concubine formed was a raped Nigeria – Nigeria is a raped society. The only way to have a nation is to build a social contract.

 “Put differently, without the involvement and mutual agreement of people in the formation of a state, such a state cannot stand the test of time. Thus, to build a nation, build the state. Religiosity has been the utmost factor bedevilling the Nigerian state. When you take a look at the Nigeria state today, Boko Haram is traceable to religion; Fulani campaigns also have religious undertones among others. The effect of this religiosity is that it would continue to preclude the existence of elements of a nation such as equality, justice, democracy and social welfare among people,” he said.

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