Church of Nigeria Calls For New Federal Constitution

Primate of the Church of Nigeria, Anglican Communion, the Most Rev Henry Ndukuba has called on the federal government to work out a new Federal Constitution that will be people-oriented.

Ndukuba made this call on Thursday at the official opening of the Standing Committee meeting of the Church of Nigeria at the St. Andrew’s Basilica Anglican Church in Enugu State.

The Primate, in a statement signed by the Church’s Communication Officer, Korede Akintunde, said that everyone knows that Nigeria is beset by several nagging issues, some of which recently came to the fore and ventilated by various groups, especially with the recent #EndBadGovernance protest.

He expressed the conviction of the Church that while the National Assembly has done well in the amendment of the military-bequeathed Constitution, Nigeria is due to have a new set of legislation which will be made by the Sovereign Assembly of the peoples of Nigeria.

“This new Constitution will take into consideration the concerns already expressed in the Sovereign National Conferences and the various calls for the restructuring of Nigeria. Shying away from doing this amounts to postponing the doom’s day,” he said.

The Primate further added that the only foundational legacy that President Bola Tinubu’s administration needs to lay is that of a solid democratic governance and give Nigeria a civil and democratic constitution that will address the root causes of the xenophobic agitations of the citizens.

He also noted the #EndBadGovernance protest held despite lacking an identifiable leadership or clear set of demands, and amidst the spirited efforts of the federal and state governments to avert it.

“This was a clear indication that the people are tired of constant but failed promises by the government to stem the rising cost of living which has imposed severe hardship on most households in the country.

“Furthermore, the often-amplified calls for understanding and sacrifice by those in authority while their lifestyle, actions, and display of affluence and luxury amid scarcity for most people, do not help matters.

“The protest is a clarion call to governments at all levels, especially the federal, to heed the cry of the people, and not scapegoat anyone, as no government can legislate or stop people who are hungry from protesting,” he said.

The Church of Nigeria also frowned at the hoisting of Russian flags in parts of the country by some protesters, describing it as unacceptable as it is a slide from the norms of protest in Nigeria and appeared to be a play at the unconstitutional change of government which the church strongly condemned.

“We believe that this ill-advised gambit if not checked, can lead to a breach in our democracy. This incident should be fully investigated to ascertain and deal with the causes and the instigators of this crime.

“Unfortunately, it could be that there are some sacred cows behind this incident, as it seems to have been swept under the carpet. We call for action to mitigate future occurrences,” he said.

The Church also felicitates with President Tinubu and the Nigerian workers on the signing into law of the new minimum wage of N70,000, saying that it is a commendable development.

“However, we call on the government to extend the scheme to cover pensioners, many of whom are living on starvation wages. There is a need for a review of pensions every five years as provided by the Constitutive Law on pensions,” the Primate said.

Speaking further on pensioners, the Anglican Church noted that governors have often conditioned payment of pensions on verification of senior citizens, adding that, “The constant verification of pensioners makes them the most ‘verified’ demographic in Nigeria. Yet, pensions are not paid or are interminably delayed.

“This anomaly should be addressed to save those who have given their all in service to the nation and who the government has abandoned in their times of need.”

The cleric reminded those in authority “that the staff of today are the pensioners of tomorrow, while urging the National Assembly to criminalise non-payment of pensions to entitled persons as and when due.”