Feedback on Constitutional Review
THE agitation for the review of the nation's constitution is as old as the current democratic dispensation. It is borne out of the many loopholes that emanated from the 1999 constitution drafted by the erstwhile military junta.
The process of reviewing the constitution has begun in earnest. The Federal government has set a machinery in motion to ensure a rebranded constitution that would reshapen the political landscape of this country. Both Senate and the House of
Representatives have also started preparing legal frame work to actualize the dream.
However, many meaningful Nigerians have divergent views on the functionality and otherwise of the constitution being revieed.
In this report EMMANUEL GWATANA and GRACE BEN KATO spoke to politicians and opinion moulders. Excerpts.
Hon. Tom Zakari
(Special Adviser Security and Boundary Matters).
To us as politicians, the constitutional review is a good omen. Let us not forget the fact that the 1999 Constitution was hurriedly fixed for Nigerians by the military. There are a lot of loopholes in the constitution that needed to be put right.
Today, there are many political crisis arising from the pitfalls of the 1999 constitution. The issue of local government tenure, immunity clause and cross carpeting of politicians from one party to the other have undoubtedly generated a lot of controversies throughout the country.
The current effort to review the Nigeria Constitution is far beyond the issue of creating new states. There is the need to fashion out a constitution that would be acceptable to all Nigerians.
My appeal is that Nigerians should join hands with both the state and National Assembly members to fashion out a new constitution. There is also the need to put our democracy on the right track and the only way to do it is for the present constitution to be reviewed in accordance with the wishes of the people of Nigeria.
I also wish to appeal to you journalists to always put issues concerning the constitution review in the right perspective. I believe that the job of putting a brand new constitution in the hands of Nigerians is a collective responsibility. We cannot afford to fail this time around, Nigeria must move forward.
Hon. Emmanuel Ogbe Omebije (Member Kogi State House of Assembly)
The review of the 1999 constitution is long overdue. As a law maker, I have discovered that there are many lapses in the present constitution that needed to be amended.
Most of the electoral problems we have today boils down to some clauses in the 1999 Constitution. The composition of our electoral body has become one issue of intense debate. While a lot of people are calling for the unbundling of the current independent National Electoral body, others are saying the status quo should remain . I believe the review of the constitution would put the matter to rest.
There is also the issue of immunity clause. A lot of people would agree that the clause was inserted in the constitution to protect some democratic offices from unnecessary litigation. We have also seen some politicians hiding under the clause to amass illegitimate wealth. Be that as it may, the current efforts towards reviewing the constitution would put the issue to rest.
There is no doubt that the 1999 constitution is not a perfect document. Every Constitution is a very vital document to every given nation. May be, because the political class has never considered it necessary to work on the nation's constitution for long, hence the matter has become a subject of intense debate.
We have spent roughly a little above ten years in the current political dispensation. We have not done bad, I think, to me, we have fared well. I will therefore advise Nigerians to exercise restraint in their contribution of ideas towards the amendment of the constitution.
No country in the world has put up a perfect constitution. Even some of the developed democracies have kept reviewing their constitutions. Nigerians must cooperate with the lawmakers to ensure that the current effort to review the nation's constitution does not fail.
Every genuine Nigerian today desires the review of the 1999 constitution. The reason is not far fetched. The current constitution was put in place by the military. Civilians were not given free opportunity to make input. This of course gave rise to many of the flaws that are common place in the 1999 constitution.
The current efforts being made by the federal government, the National Assembly and the good people of Nigeria to review the constitution is a good one. Take the issue of state creation for instance, there is no way a single state can be created in Nigeria without the amendment of the constitution. Many states in Nigeria are so large that a spilt is required to strengthen the spread of the dividends of democracy to the electorate.
The administration of the local government needs to be looked into in the current effort to review the nations constitution. The system of local government administration has become a subject of controversy in Nigeria. There are people who believe it is an appendage of the state government, while other see it as a third tier of government. This is a very serious matter that requires the attention of the lawmakers in the amendment of the constitution.
If you read through the newspapers, you will discover that the tenure of Local Government has become a subject of litigation in several states of the federation. This is because there are many ambiguities on the tenure of council administration. That portion of the constitution therefore needs a review to put issues on proper perspective.
There are many clauses in the 1999 constitution that needed to be expunged, while there are many good ones that should by the National Assembly on the review of the 1999 Constitution should be retained. The current effort being made be supported by all Nigerians.
When a new and acceptable constitution is put in place, the nation's democracy will be focused and strengthened

Hon. Emmanuel Ogbe Omebije
(Member Kogi State House of Assembly)