A Professor of Political Science in the Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Ilorin, Emmanuel Olugbade Ojo, has advocated a completely brand new Federal Constitution for Nigeria, noting that the extant grand norm is essentially defective and an imposition by the military oligarchy.
This, he said, has led to what he referred to as “federal immobilism”.
Prof. Ojo, who made this call while delivering the 291st Inaugural Lecture of the University, added: “To achieve that, Nigeria may need to organise a Referendum or Constitutional Convention or Constituent Assembly, whose membership may have to be elected.”
According to the Inaugural Lecturer, a properly restructured federal architecture is essential for meaningful development and national integration, adding that power must be devolved to both the States and Local Governments for an efficient and effective federal system.
“The earlier this is done, the better for the polity. Local Governments need to be reanimated,” he admonished.
Prof. Ojo called on the government to repeal the Land Use Act to allow the communities that are naturally endowed with mineral resources to maximally benefit from them, “rather than the extant system that is known to be ‘robbing Peter to pay Paul’, adding that “royalty should be paid to federal purse rather than federal government taking over what solid minerals in state domains”.
The Inaugural Lecturer, who stressed the need to strengthen the principle of federal character both in job opportunities and infrastructure provisions in order to enhance spatial development, urged Nigerians to imbibe the federal spirit in all ramifications, saying “federal spirit will truncate ethnic chauvinism”.
He added, “The problematic citizenship in Nigeria must be addressed once and for all. While ‘statism’ may not be completely abrogated, there is a need to properly conceptualise citizenship both legally and sociologically, so that, to have resided in a place for a minimum of 10 years, such a citizen should not be discriminated against in any guise.
“The ever-contentious revenue allocation formula must be tinkered with to complement power devolution to the lower tiers of government.
“More importantly, what we need today is a non-centralised federal system in which state governments are politically virile, legislatively strong and financially resilient and, indeed, constituted into self-confident and self-assertive centres of respect by the political loyalty from the citizens they serve and over whom they exercise authority.”
