Why Nigeria misses direction to good constitution

The quest for a better constitution for the country is an issue that has remained a matter of interest to Nigerians which they won’t like to let go of any opportunity they are afforded to sit down and fashion out a constitution that all will be proud of.

This aforementioned fact propelled many Nigerians to embrace the proposed national dialogue by the federal government, and in demonstrating their seriousness about the conference each ethnic group has met to deliberate on the step to put forward and strategise on how to get support for their position.

While many are concerned about the proposed conference, others want to be retrospective and consider what has gone wrong, how the country went astray and why the country has consistently continued to miss the point, more so to consider whether a prescription was set to make the country better, and why has that salient points raised were ignored, and what could be done to get the country back on track.

Such a forum was the  symposium organised by Obafemi Awolowo Foundation  which  was to commemorate  the posthumous birthday of the  late sage, Chief   Obafemi Awolowo  held at  Ikeja, Lagos State, on the theme ,”the Nigerian constitution :The Awo road not taken”. Reading his keynote address, Professor Pius Adesanmi of Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada said Nigeria is in the present predicament because the leaders refused to heed useful advice given to them by the sage on how best to run the country and as well fashion out a good   constitution capable of taking care of the interest of the multi cultural and multi ethnic groups in Nigeria.

To him, Awolowo took the pain to ponder on the challenges that might face the country as a nation, and then proposed a better constitution that can better take care of the challenges and predicaments the country might be confronted with. He   said that literarily Awolowo had shown Nigerians two paths, the one that is better to follow and the crooked   one that leads to destruction, but Nigerian leaders opted for the path that takes the country nowhere.

Professor Adesanmi   stated that as far back as 1928, when Awolowo studied  the thought and work of Indians nationalists, the Indian National Congress, he came to the conclusion that  a better constitution for the country was a federal constitution, and that, he emphasised in most of the books written by him and even in speeches he delivered.

He harped on the fact that what Awolowo conceived as a Federal constitution is all encompassing that takes care of a variety of opinions, and different from   the ones being operated now which is a mockery of what a federal constitution ought to be, “he had hardly a book in which a chapter is not dedicated to reiterating the importance of getting Nigeria’s constitutional framework right…..

“And this is not counting the volume of essays and speeches in which these keywords and   registers appear. Indeed, wherever the word “constitution” appears in the Awolowo opus, you can almost always count on encountering the qualifiers, ”suitable”, or even more frequently “ federal”, which the thinker always poses in a binary opposition to unitary. Wherever or whenever that binary opposition occurs in his work, he resolves the argument always unambiguously, in favour of federalism, recommending it forcefully and repeatedly to Nigeria as “Ona(way) and always pointing at unitarianism as what “igbo” (forest).””

The university don   while  highlighting   why Awolowo  emphasised  on the word federalism stated  that when Chief Awolowo  used the word federal constitution  it bears no semblance  with the blasphemous use of the  word in Nigeria today’s contemporary political discourse and practice, “In a reversal of semantics possible only in Nigeria, what we call federalism today is what Awolowo consistently  decries as Unitarianism in his work”,  he said.

Professor Adesanmi reiterated that Chief Awolowo in his book “Thought on Nigerian Constitution” stated that a suitable constitution was the bedrock of political stability, just as he identified in the book, that even the best and the most suitable constitution was useless if a country is hostage to corrupt and visionless leadership and convincingly made it clear that the only alternative to federalism for Nigeria was the wide road to national impotence and ruin.

According to him, it was sad that leaders in the country hardly read books that get them good ideas on how to better manage the country. Making a comment at the symposium, Osun State governor Rauf Aregbesola pointed out that Awolowo excelled as the premier of Western Region because he was a man highly talented and a visionary leader   who planned ahead.

Aregbesola noted that the development recorded by Awolowo as premier of Western region was because there were plans for a better future, he maintained that despite Chief Awolowo’s prescription for a better country which he prescribed in the books written by him none was taken serious because Nigerians are ignorant.

According to him, Chief Awolowo do not have human enemies, but his enemies were ignorance and poverty, and that led to the disaster Nigeria is facing now”do you know the enemies of Awolowo, he had no human enemies, his enemies are ignorance and poverty, which we must try to eliminate, what will be the achievement of the country in the   next twenty years? Are we preparing for the next twenty years .An ignorant man is   a doomed person, ignorance and poverty leads to disaster that is what we are nursing   in the North.”

Aregbesola  explained  that when Awolowo  was premier of Western Nigeria  he created  all shades of  middle class, but lamented  that leaders of nowadays have failed  the generation they are leading, ”if we have failed as a generation must we superintend  failure to coming generations. We are only a nation that   has touched the lives of other nations positively, and no nation affects the lives of a black race or bring them out of the present predicament or situation except Nigeria.”

Toeing   the line of other speakers, the Chairman of Nigeria Bar Association {NBA} Ikeja branch Monday Ubani  said Awolowo is qualified to be addressed  as a Prophet who saw tomorrow , stressing that  according to his Christian name Jeremiah, he prophesised on the dangers awaiting Nigeria, arguing that if some of the views postulated by him, were  taken seriously, it should  have started manifesting .”All what he said are issues affecting us today?”

He argued that the better way to bail the country out was   to restructure Nigeria. Ubani who expressed fear that the proposed national conference may not address the situation on  ground, said   that it will not assuage the aggrieved minds  either.

He maintained that the laid down position procedure for  the conference was faulty and it will be an anathema  to achieving the desired objectives, “ there is so much bottled up  anger in the land, the conference should be of ethnic nationalities that make up Nigeria state.  Approving any issue before it is discussed is harsh.” He said.

According to Fela  Durotoye, a social commentator, the problem facing the country escalates  per day and no germane effort  is made to address the problems, he said it is appalling that  countries that were on the same page  with Nigeria at independence have far forged  ahead, and Nigeria persistently continue to lag behind and no serious effort  is made by its leaders to put it on the right track.

He  maintained that it is no doubt that Awolowo was a visionary leader  who tried to forget the past  and forge ahead, and that  was why  he was able to record  a lot of firsts in the program and projects he initiated  when he was the premier of Western Nigeria.

Durotoye challenged those who claimed to be disciples of Awolowo on what they have done to better the lots of the masses, he lampooned them that they were a disgrace to the memory of their leader, arguing that, that idleness should not be condoned in any way, and every hand must be on deck to take the country out of the lurch.

He stressed that a path should be charted for the upcoming generation, because it would be a disaster to bequeath to them the ignorable situation we have found ourselves, stating why Nigeria should not suffer in the midst of abundance.

He urged the leaders to carve a niche for themselves like the founding fathers of the nation; Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe and Ahmadu Bello did to themselves.

Speaking in the same vein, Toyosi Akerele, took a swipe at the present generation for doing nothing to keep the values of Awolowo alive.

According to the chairman of the symposium Alhaji Tanko Yakassai .Awolowo  was an inspiration for democratic  development , and he  always is an advocate for  federalism and resource control, explaining that his ideals if followed  was a better prescription for the advancement of Nigeria.

He maintained that he had always follow Awolowo position on national issues, and bought into his ideals.

In her welcome address the Executive Director of the Foundation Dr Tokunbo Awolowo-Dosunmu lamented that Awolowo prescription for a better Nigeria was ignored and that is why Nigeria found herself in the present predicament, ”Awolowo believes in federalism and resource control, and he devoted his entire life working for Nigeria, his prescription set aside  brought about this complication.”

She explained that the essence of the symposium was to consider the road not taken on the way to national hood, just as she emphasised that Awolowo believes much in the unity of the country, though some Nigerians criticised his position,”Awolowo believes in indivisible Nigeria despite criticism.”