The Secretary-General of the Yoruba Council of Elders, Dr. Kunle Olajide, has stated that Nigeria needs a brand new Constitution, noting that, the National Assembly should forget about amending what he described as the fraudulent 1999 Constitution, as amended, for the country to move forward beyond the ongoing agitations for secession, .
He added that Nigeria may not last till the 2023 general elections, if the attacks in the country continue.
Olajide stated that the level of mutual suspicion among various ethnic nationalities in the country, and the level of ongoing attacks against the government Agencies, are an indication that all is not well with Nigeria, adding that, urgent actions must be taken to bring the country back from the brink.
He said this in an interview with SUNDAY Punch, on Saturday.
His exact words: “The attacks on Police Stations, Independent National Electoral Commission offices, are a manifestation of general disenchantment of Nigerians. When INEC offices are being attacked, and Police Stations are also attacked, that is a direct attack on the state.
“It is a reflection of how bad we have descended in the last 6 years of this administration. It is still a manifestation of the general disenchantment of the people, and something has to be done urgently, otherwise, may God forbid, the country may not even last till 2023.”
Asked if what is happening now should be blamed on the present government of President Muhammadu Buhari, he said his answer is “yes and no”.
He added: “They inherited a country that has been dysfunctional, because of the structure and fraudulent Constitution of 1999. But they promised Nigerians so much in 2014, that they were going to restructure the country to reflect true Federalism, and the basis of our union in 1963.
“What have we found since President Muhammadu Buhari came to power? The President and his people did not say anything about restructuring until 2017. They wanted to creat an impression that they were sincere and (Governor Nasir) El-Rufai Committee was constituted.
“The Committee came up with a very good report, but not one word has been said about that report since 2017. I think Mr. President must have underrated reactions of Nigerians, and this thing has gone beyond him now.
“This is the ninth National Assembly, and they have been amending the Constitution since. You cannot continue to panel beat a badly destroyed accident vehicle. We need a new Constitution. The 1999 Constitution should be discarded, and a process of writing a new one should be put in place.”
He said that the 1999 Constitution turned politics to commercial ventures, when Politicians go to invest and make huge returns on their investment within a short period, at the expense of the citizens.
He stated that the new Constitution should address such trend, and make politics an avenue to serve the people.
More news later…
