According to eminent attorney Mike Ozekhome (SAN), Nigeria cannot advance under the current constitution, regardless of any revisions.
He contends that because the 1999 Constitution is flawed, it cannot be changed.
The 1999 constitution, according to Ozekhome, runs a unitary system of government rather than a federal one.
When answering questions on Monday during Arise Television’s Morning Show, the legal expert made this statement.
“Amending the Constitution is not the issue,” he stated. I have often stated that a faulty document cannot be changed. The people could never have produced a terrible, illegitimate document that never passed a democratic plebiscite or referendum.
“We are still talking about constitutional amendment when we should be talking about introducing a brand new constitution that reflects our diversity as a nation, reflects our multi religious, linguistic inclination.
“We need a complete start, a new start, like Naaman the leper, who was cleansed of his leprosy after dipping himself in the Jordan River seven times. We must take that action. Aside from its original sin—which we refer to as Adam’s sin—the current constitution was created by a military dictatorship with the issuance of decree number 24 of 1999.
“Regardless of the amendments, the current constitution cannot advance us because, among other things, it maintains a unitary system of government rather than a federal one.
Second, it deprives the populace of their cultural, political, social, and economic rights. Thirdly, it is excessively burdensome in terms of leaks and waste.
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