Eminent Nigerians on Wednesday expressed the need for a constitution that truly reflects the wishes and aspirations of the peoples of Nigeria.
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Former Secretary General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; former President, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Comrade Joe Ajaero were among the personalities that took positions on the workability of the existing 1999 Constitution.
Presenting his opening remarks at the two-day event, themed “National Summit on the Future of Nigeria’s Constitutional Democracy,” convened by The Patriots, Anyaoku, who is the Chairman of the Forum, submitted that the subsisting constitution was a military constitution imposed on the people without their inputs, maintaining that it was not suitable for a pluralistic and diverse polity like Nigeria.
He said: “As a background to this summit, it is important to state the following indisputable facts that are recognised by all our citizens—except, of course, those who want to continue to live in denial.
“First, Nigeria is a pluralistic country, and like all successful pluralistic countries around the world, for its stability and maximal development, its constitution must address its own problems.
“Second, it must address its pluralism by being formulated by elected representatives of its diverse people.
“Our present 1999 Constitution, as amended, is not such a constitution. It was not democratically-formulated. It was instead imposed on the country through a decree by the military administration.
“And the governance system derived from it is not only non-inclusive, but also induces over-expectation of the nation’s resources on administration rather than on capital development.
“As a result, what we see is our nation’s need for a new constitution. This is the need for a new constitution, but this is a matter to be made by the people of our country.”
Chief Anyaoku argued that “the present 36 Federation units are obviously incapable of generating and sustaining the pace of national development achieved in the early years of our independence under the 1963 Constitution.”
Former President Obasanjo, however, identified operators of the 1999 Constitution as the fundamental encumbrance of its seamless operation.
Obi of Onitsha, Nnaemeka Alfred Achebe, whose goodwill message was equally presented by Honourable Wale Okunniyi, expressed strong reservations about the effectiveness of the 1999 Constitution in meeting the aspirations of the average Nigerian. He called for a fresh document that is people-driven.
In the new constitution, the Obi of Onitsha said priority must be given to accountability, devolution of power to ensure that power isn’t concentrated in one entity. He also craved for a document that would ensure level playing field for all Nigerians. He challenged the gathering to ensure a working document that will serve the interest of all Nigerians.
In his goodwill message read by Honourable Wale Okunniyi, the former president insisted on the unimpeachable integrity of the political elite that operates the constitution. He said:
“The best Constitution can be perverted and distorted by the operators and we have experienced that all over Africa, Nigeria is not exempted.
“I am more concerned about the operators of the Constitution to lead in good governance and promotion of welfare and well-being of the citizenry. No matter what you do to Nigerian Constitution, if the operators of the Nigerian Constitution for the past one decade and a half remain unchanged and continue in the same manner, the welfare and well-being of Nigerians will continue to be sacrificed on the altar of selfishness, self-centeredness, corruption, impunity, and total disregard of the Constitution, decency, morality, integrity and honesty.
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“At this crucial time, the operators matter more and the searchlight should be on them. When we get the right operators, they will give us the amended or new Constitution close to what we need to make every Nigerian a proud stakeholder in the Project Nigeria.”
President of the NLC, Comrade Ajaero, who was represented by Comrade Benson Upah, spoke in a similar vein. He said:
“The truth lies in our stars and ourselves. It is time to look inwards.
“The problem isn’t with the constitution but ourselves. The leading political elite in this country have programmed themselves to fail and to fail this country.”
Former Ogun State governor and senator representing Ogun East, Gbenga Daniel, who is co-chairman of the organising committee, declared that “the existing structure established by the 1999 Constitution has consistently proven to be inadequate in effectively addressing the core issues related to governance, equity, inclusion, and national cohesion.”
Amidst the growing cynicism trailing the summit, Senator Daniel told the gathering of former governors, leaders of socio-cultural organisations and traditional rulers that the deliberations and resolutions would not be in vain as it would be presented to the National Assembly and the Presidency for adoption.
He said: “Allow me to conclude by emphasising that this moment does not signify an end, but rather a new commencement.
“The resolutions and proposals arising from this summit will be carefully documented, further refined, and subsequently presented to both the Presidency and the National Assembly for their consideration. Our intention is not to foster confrontation but to promote constructive collaboration and mutual understanding.
“It is imperative that we persuade our leaders—through reasoned argument, consensus-building, and compelling evidence—that Nigeria is in dire need of a new constitutional framework that reflects the aspirations and realities of all its citizens.
“Let history record that, in 2025, Nigerians came together not to complain, not to incite, but to build a framework for the country we desire and deserve.”
Former Akwa Ibom State governor, Obong Victor Attah, in his goodwill message, cautioned the political class to take seriously the urgency of a consensus on a working and durable constitution as he maintained that time is running out on meaningful dialogue.
“This summit is the defining moment, perhaps, the last peaceful opportunity to construct a constitution to address the states of our nation in disrepair, but not beyond repair. We from the South South join other regions across the country who believe the structure isn’t working but can be reconstructed on basis of justice and equity.”
Attah said the South South endorsed the summit in its entirety because the 1999 Constitution was a military creation.
“If we continue this trend, Nigeria is bound to go into fragmentation. True federalism must be guaranteed with autonomy to the federating units. Nigeria’s unity can only be achieved through fairness and justice, not through force.”
Former Speaker of the House of Representatives and co-chairman of the organising committee, Honourable Aminu Tambuwal, represented by Honourable Suraju Bello, said the mission of the organizers is to ultimately draft and present “a legislative Bill for a new constitution—a constitution created by the people, for the people.”
While he aligned with the submissions of other speakers who picked holes in the existing constitution, the former Sokoto State governor and Senator representing Sokoto South expressed confidence that the conveners of the summit, The Patriots, would subordinate primordial sentiments for the overall objective of national unity.
“Let this be remembered as the historic summit at which Nigeria rose above partisan division, ethnic differences, fear, and hesitation, and embarked on a path towards establishing a new constitutional order—a federation that functions effectively, a union founded on mutual consent, and a democracy that truly serves its people,” he said.
Chairman of the African Newspapers Nigeria Plc and Executive Director, Obafemi Awolowo Foundation, Dr Tokunbo Awolowo Dosumu, in her virtual goodwill message, admonished the convener of the summit to give priority to federalism which she noted was “the consensus of Nigeria’s founding fathers.”
She maintained that only true federalism could return the nation to the golden era of the defunct First Republic.
“I am sure a significant number of Nigerians agree with me, sincerely hope that federalism will be top among the foundational issues addressed at this gathering.
“As Chief Obafemi Awolowo once declared, ‘…in the peculiar circumstances of Nigeria, only a federal constitution can foster unity with concord among the diverse national groups in the country, as well as promote economy and efficiency in administration…’
“This was not just a casual preference. It was the product of rigorous, statistical, and global research that was evidence-based, reasoned, and enduring in its import.
“Federalism was not just Chief Awolowo’s vision. It was the consensus of Nigeria’s founding fathers.
“And the golden era of developmental strides by the regions, whether in education, infrastructure, agriculture, or industry, owed much to the constitutional framework within which they, fortunately, chose to operate—a structure that empowered federating units to flourish while preserving national unity.”
She further appealed to the Federal Government not to discountenance the outcome of the summit.
“As this Summit convenes, I earnestly hope, and fervently pray, that its outcomes will not only be heard, but will be acted upon by those in authority. If they do so with courage and clarity, they will, undoubtedly, write their names in letters of gold in the annals of Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, stability and progress,” she said.
Chief Femi Okunrounmu, who presented the goodwill message of Afenifere leader, Chief Reuben Fasoranti, recommended the report of the 2014 National Conference as working document for this Summit.
Another Afenifere representative, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, said Nigeria deserved a balanced federal structure which recognises the legitimate claims of federating units while minorities should not be deprived of the rights to express themselves.
“Afenifere wants Nigeria to have states adequately recognized as federating units. The states shall be the federating units, states should be able to create local government,” he said.
Oba Olaitan called for the abrogation of the existing 774 LGAs.
Other groups which presented goodwill messages included the Ohanaeze Ndigbo and the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF).
Dignitaries in attendance were Professor Pat Utomi, former Education Minister Oby Ezekwesili, Professor Osagie Obayuwana, General Ike Nwachukwu, Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN). Also present at the summit held at Congress Hall of Transcorp Hilton were former Minister Mrs Paulen Tallen, former Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Bola Tinubu Dr Hakeem Baba Ahmed, former Ekiti State governor Dr Kayode Fayemi, Chief Femi Falana (SAN), amongst others.
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