From Lateef Dada, Osogbo
For the umpteenth time, a legal luminary, Chief Wole Olanipekun, has insisted that the present constitution of Nigeria is unamenable.
He maintained that what the country need is constitutional replacement and not constitutional amendment.
Olanipekun stated this on Wednesday in his convocation lecture delivered at the 13th convocation of the Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State.
Speaking on the topic titled “Beyond The Pandemic: Creating An Evolving New Normal,” expressed sadness over the spate of pandemic coupled with the insecurityy, high level of poverty, lack of access to quality education and some basic requirements guaranteed by the constitution.
He, however, blamed everything on the constitution which he said was built on faulty premise.
“For now, Nigeria is functioning, not too disproportionate from the way it has been designed to function by those who imposed the present constitution on us, falsely labelled as ” The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999.”
“Every properly functioning nation has a masterplan which is ingrained in its constitution. The present normal which is virtually landing us in a conundrum, is that we are bedevilled with a constitution, which in its very essence and content, does not represent any honest, genuine and sincere constitution.
“To compound this complicated problem is the arrogant attempt being made by the National Assembly to amend a constitution that has no author and, by extension, no bonafide origin.
“With much respect to the National Assembly members, what Nigeria needs is not a constitutional amendment but a constitutional replacement; for the present constitution cannot be amended, it is unamendable. This is apart from the fact that most members of the National Assembly are not politically contiguous to their constituents, for security and diverse reasons. Abuja has now become their homes and haven.”
“Since the emergence of this democratic duspensation in 1999, I have consistently advocated for a true Federal Constitution for Nigeria, and a return to a true Federal System of Government, akin or similar to what we had pre-January 1966 coup de tat.”
The lawyer who noted that social interventions and relief packages provided by the advanced countries during the lockdown became practically impossible for country like Nigeria because of several factors, insisted that total replacement of the constitution will solve the problem.