Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Monday joined former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku; Afenifere chieftain, Pa. Ayo Adebanjo, members of the National Assembly, former governors and eminent national leaders to demand for a new Nigerian Constitution that would reflect true federalism and address the problem of the country.
They said Nigeria has two options in getting a truly federal constitution by either adopting the recommendations of the 2014 National Confab or go for a relatively inexpensive Constituent Assembly on a non-party basis for producing a widely desired constitution for Nigerians.
Sanwo-Olu and the eminent national leaders spoke on Monday during the National Constitutional Dialogue organised by The Patriots, a Pan Nigerian Group of Eminent National Leaders of Thought, with the theme: 'Lawful procedures for actualising a People's Constitution for Nigeria' in honour of the late renowned constitutional lawyer, Prof. Ben Nwabueze.
The event, held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA), Victoria Island, Lagos was attended by Governor Sanwo-Olu, Chief Anyaoku, Pa Adebanjo, the Secretary to the Lagos State Government; Senators Aminu Tambuwal and Gbenga Daniel; former Governors Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun), Donald Duke (Cross River), James Ibori (Delta), Victor Attah (Akwa Ibom) and Rauf Aregbesola (Osun).
Others were constitutional lawyers Chief Mike Ozekhome (SAN) and Mr. Tunji Abayomi; President of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum, Alhaji Yerima Shettima; former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olabode George and other eminent leaders and pro-democracy activists, Prof. Anthony Kila, Dr. Idika Kalu, Elder Solomon Asemota and Comrade Wale Okunniyi, among others.
Speaking at the event, Governor Sanwo-Olu backed the agitation for a true federal constitution for Nigeria to devolve power to the states and charged the National Assembly to put a legal framework in place for the birth of a new constitution that would be determined by the Nigerian people.
He said the conversation around the making of a new constitution should be driven further. "If eminent Nigerians; people who have used better parts of their time serving this country have a conversation and we cannot take it forward and make sure that we have a complete solution, then we are wasting our time. Given the number of people that are here, we should make this conversation very effective. Many speakers have said that it is not the National Assembly that will make those amendments and it makes a lot of logical sense. It is for the National Assembly to constitute a law where people will come together and make those amendments themselves.
Speaking earlier, Anyaoku called for a Constituent Assembly to midwife a new constitution, saying the current 1999 constitution lacks the legitimacy expected in a pluralistic country like Nigeria.
Anyaoku, the Chairman of The Patriots said the present constitution is not suitable to address the myriad challenges confronting Nigeria and called for the adoption of the recommendations of the 2014 national conference or the conduct of an “inexpensive” constituent assembly that would be nonpartisan to have a truly federal constitution.
Elder statesman and Afenifere chieftain, Chief Ayo Adebanjo called for the implementation of the 2014 National Conference, which according to him represented how the people of Nigeria want to be governed considering the representation of the people from different parts of the country that attended the national conference.
He said what Nigeria needs is a brand new constitution and not the amendment of the current constitution, which the National Assembly wants to embark on.
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