General secretary of The Patriots, Olawale Okunniyi, has stated that Nigeria’s 1999 constitution should have been proclaimed by the people to confirm legitimacy and not decreed.
Okunniyi said this while speaking in an interview with ARISE NEWS on Monday about the demands of a new constitution by the Nigerian Patriots group.
He explained that a constitution should be a reflection of the people’s will. “You do not decree a constitution; it is proclaimed by the people of the country in a national assembly. A constitution is the totality of the agreement of the citizens of a country.”
“The constitution we have today does not enjoy the endorsement of the citizens of Nigeria. It was in process not popular and legitimate. It is the process of every constitution that legitimises the constitution, not content.”
Okunniyi criticised the way the 1999 Constitution was created, noting that it was imposed by the military under General Abdulsalami Abubakar. “It was the military that was in a hurry to go under Abdulsalami Abubakar that got a committee together to do some few consultations, bring back a report to them, and they decreed it under Decree 24 of 1999,” he explained.
The Patriots, a group dedicated to good governance and democratic rule in Nigeria, are advocating for a complete overhaul of the existing constitution. “What we propose is to change it and do an overhaul to the people’s constitution that will be totally democratic in its process,” Okunniyi added.
Addressing concerns about resistance to change, he acknowledged that some individuals or groups might be benefiting from the current system. “We recognise the fact that some people may be benefiting from what exists now to the detriment and disadvantage of the mass populace of Nigeria,” he said.
“It is the duty of a group like Patriots to assuage their fears and let them know that it will be benefiting for all and show them the danger if you have a mass of the populace that is poor and living in insecurity.”
Okunniyi also highlighted the broader issues affecting Nigeria, including violence and insecurity, saying, “Nigeria as a country is not working for anybody, not even those in power or business because they face the threats of kidnapping, terrorism, lives being lost in thousands, banditry, and suicide bombing. These are all symptoms and offshoots of a badly flawed and warped government architecture that is just sustaining a few.”
NANCY MBAMALU
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