Ben Ezechime, Enugu
The former Secretary-General of Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku and a one-time Foreign Affairs Minister, General Ike Nwachukwu (Rtd), have reiterated the call for restructuring and constitution review to address the challenges facing the country.
The duo made the call during the “14th Chief Emeka Anyaoku Lecture Series on Good Governance,” held in Enugu.
The event was organised by the Youths Affair International with the theme “Imperative of Good Governance in Nigeria.”
Speaking at the event, Nwachukwu said he had long been advocating for the restructuring of Nigeria to become a proper federation, allowing state autonomy and bringing governance closer to the people.
Nwachukwu, who was the Chairman at the event, added that in doing so, it would allow states access to the mineral, natural and human resources for their development.
He expressed the need for Nigeria to have a truly People’s Constitution made by its ethnic nationalities and interest groups.
The one-time minister emphasised that the 1999 Constitution restrained development and harmonious co-existence of the Nigerian peoples.
According to him, the challenges we face in leadership and governance have often impeded our journey toward sustainable development.
“The failure of governance in Nigeria is evident in the declining capacity of political leaders to recognize systemic issues and implement necessary measures to address them.
“I stand for respect for the Rule of Law, the need for a forthright and independent Judiciary, a more effective, and responsive military, police and intelligence services, creation of State Police and local policing for our communities,” he said.
Aligning himself with Nwachukwu on good governance system in Nigeria, Anyaoku said he had consistently advocated for a genuine democratic constitution in Nigeria that addresses the country’s pluralism.
He added that the constitution Nigeria had at the moment, the 1999 Constitution, as amended, did not address the country’s pluralism.
“I am 92 years and I have the privilege of living through Nigeria history and my regret is that Nigeria is still a country and had not become a nation.
“We are still struggling to become a nation because some of the challenges we face now, I believe can be better managed if we were a nation.
“Nigeria is still a pluralistic country and pluralistic countries are all over the world. Those of them that have succeeded in surviving remained individual political entity.
“They are also those who had addressed their pluralism through genuine federal constitution.
“Those pluralistic countries that failed to address their pluralism through genuine federal constitution have disintegrated like Sudan that disintegrated into Sudan and Southern Sudan,” Anyaoku noted.
The nonagenarian, however, stressed that good governance was possible in Nigeria only if the fundamental which was the constitution allowed and encouraged good governance.
“The constitution we have now put the centre at the apex of the nation and the federated units depending on it for survival unlike what we have in the days of Obafemi Awolowo, Michael Okpara and others.
“We were developing faster in the first six years our independence because we had a genuine federal constitution which allowed the four regions to take care of their internal development, social, facilities, education, health and internal security,” Anyoku recalled.
He thanked Gov. Peter Mbah for hosting the lecture and Youths Affair International for consistently organising the lectures from inception till the 14th edition.
While describing Mbah as a true performing governor, Anyaoku said he had transformed the state into hub of industrial, educational and agricultural innovation.
On the contrary, the former Foreign Affairs Minister and Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, said attention should be given to constitutionalism which spreads through the three arms of government and played by the rule of law.
Gambari, in Keynote Speech, said, “We must basically agree on the way forward not for the North-Central, North-East, North-West or South-West but all of us together as many countries had managed their diversities.
“There is no perfect constitution anywhere in the world but through political education, mutual respect, commitment to the rule of law that constitutions were meant to work for the common good and purposes of curtailing excesses in exercise of power,” he said.
Mbah, in a remark, said that good intentions alone do not translate to good leadership, but leadership that is centred around the people.
“I feel honoured to host Anyaoku’s lecture series and he is an inspirational figure,” the governor said.
