Ozekhome Urges President Tinubu To Lead Constitutional Reform Efforts
Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, has called on President Bola Tinubu to implement a people-centered constitution for Nigeria. Ozekhome made this appeal during his appearance on Channels Television’s “Sunday Politics” show.
A member of The Patriots, a distinguished group led by former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Ozekhome recently met with President Tinubu at the State House in Abuja to discuss the matter.
When asked about the President’s commitment to constitutional reform, Ozekhome highlighted the urgency of the situation, stating, “He (Tinubu) should have the political will because these problems won’t disappear until we confront them head-on.”
Ozekhome argued that a new constitution is crucial for tackling Nigeria’s pressing issues, such as poverty, insecurity, and corruption. He said, “The killings you are seeing, the poverty, the corruption, they are all symptoms of a larger problem which is the basis of what we are talking about. When you solve it, other things will be in place.”
He criticized the existing 1999 Constitution, describing it as a military-imposed document that was not subjected to a referendum. Ozekhome called for an indigenous and people-centric constitution to redirect Nigeria’s trajectory, emphasizing the importance of nationhood and unity.
Furthermore, Ozekhome stressed that a new constitution must be put to a referendum, likening the current constitutional framework to a car with a faulty engine that requires replacement rather than superficial repairs.
