By Ebere Agozie
Stakeholders in the judiciary sector have urged members of the National Assembly to ensure that the proposed constitution review aligns with democratic best practices.
They gave the charge at a one day Rule of Law Foundation Webinar Series No. 14, organized to address the problems of modern day Nigeria through Constitutional Amendment.
The event was to commemorate the 45th year anniversary of the call to the Nigerian bar and 30 years of conferment of the Rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria on J B Daudu.
Daudu in his paper which he averred as his `Input As It Relates To The Ongoing Process Of Constitutional Ammendment, added that the review must also ensure historical lessons and the urgent need for public trust in Nigeria’s legal system.
He noted that it is not the hood that makes the monk and that constitutional amendments do not guarantee an efficacious system.
“If the Nigerian elite are to be honest with themselves, they will readily agree that the reason for bad governance and corruption in Nigeria is not the nature of the constitution in view.
`It is the attitude of the leaders and those at the helm of authority to the basic principles of governance.
“I have always believed that a constitution is not what determines how a country is run. It is the honesty, the decency, the God-fearingness of the leaders.”
He reiterated that any constitution can be applied equitably and fairly, but when people want to use it to amass power, of course there’s no way it will be fair.
“If the constitution is not properly applied, there’s no way there will be justice and there’s no way there will be peace,’’ he added.
The governor of Kogi State, Gov Usman Ododo added that it is imperative to stress the importance of constitutional amendment.
Ododo was represented by Muiz Abdullahi, SAN, the Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice of the state.
He added that the need for an amendment in Nigeria cannot be over-emphasized as some of the provisions of the constitution are no longer in tune with international best practices.
“Amendment of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is therefore crucial for the a number of reasons;
“To promote the rule of law by strengthening the independence of the judiciary, enhancing the protection of human rights and access to justice.
“To strengthen federalism in Nigeria, state governments should be made more independent by proper devolution of powers. More power should be devolved to state governments for rapid development across the country’’.
The governor urged that both federal and state governments should be allowed to legislate on issues that border on mining and so on, and he also addressed other provisions in the constitution that are capable of causing confusion or multiple interpretations.
“For example, who legislates on items not contained in either the exclusive or concurrent legislative list.
“We have to bring the constitution at par with changing times in order to align same with international best practices.
“The review should ensure that the constitution is a reflection of the aspirations as well as the needs of the citizens of the country for an efficient promotion of good governance and national development’’.
He, thereafter, congratulated Daudu for the milestone of celebrating greatness, success and outstanding impact in the legal provision in Nigeria and beyond.
