Former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has said Nigeria’s challenges are its leaders and not the nation’s constitution.
His remarks came in response to a recent appeal from The Patriots, a group of esteemed elder statesmen who met with President Bola Tinubu to advocate for a new constitution.
The group, led by Emeka Anyaoku, former secretary-general of the Commonwealth, urged the president to establish a constituent assembly tasked with creating a constitution that reflects the people’s needs.
In a detailed interview, Lamido emphasised that the problems associated with the 1999 Constitution arise from its implementation, attributing these issues to human error rather than flaws within the Constitution itself.
He illustrated his point with an analogy: “If you see smoke billowing from a chimney, choking the environment, the solution lies in identifying the source of that smoke, not blaming the chimney itself.”
He stressed the importance of addressing the root causes of the problems instead of attributing them to the Constitution.
“The Constitution does not think for us; it is designed to guide, not to solve our problems. The responsibility for implementing it lies with Nigerians, and we must examine who is executing their roles correctly—from transportation hubs to educational institutions and financial sectors.”
Lamido questioned the continuous calls for constitutional amendments, asking how many constitutions are necessary before achieving success. He pointed out that regardless of the constitution’s content, if the implementation is flawed, it will fail. He highlighted the ongoing conflicts across different regions of the country, suggesting that these issues stem from human actions rather than the Constitution itself.
“There is no perfect individual or constitution in existence; it is the operators that matter,” he stated. “In other countries, constitutions thrive based on how they are managed. We cannot escape our responsibilities; no matter how swiftly we try to run from our issues, they will continue to follow us.”
He concluded by reiterating that Nigeria’s challenges are deeply rooted in the attitudes and behaviors of those who are meant to uphold the Constitution.
