Constitution Review Not Nigeria’s Problem

A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ogbonna Nwuke, has said although review of the 1999 Constitution is in order, it is not the present problem of the country.

Nwuke, who spoke with LEADERSHIP Sunday in Port Harcourt yesterday, said the challenge facing the country is how to come out of the current economic hardship.

He said though there may be some areas to touch in the constitution, the most important thing now is to find ways to make the policies of the Bola Tinubu-led administration come to reality.

“I think he received a group led by Chief Emeka Anyaoku and spoke about Constitution review. But, my thinking is perhaps there are some grey areas in the Constitution that need to be straightened out, but our problem is not the Constitution.

“We are like people who should be facing substance, yet we are chasing shadows. The Constitution is not our problem; how well have we operated the one that we have?

“If you look at the Americans, how many amendments? It has become fashionable that every new National Assembly embarks on Constitutional review. Still those problems that are endemic; that are facing our country are still there. There have been so many conversations and so many conferences involving notable Nigerians; so many recommendations have been written down, but till this day, even the process of law that lawmakers are supposed to take care of is grinding slowly.

“We have not been able to articulate all of these things and put them together. I am not saying that the Constitutional review may not be right, but I don’t think is the major problem facing Nigeria now. Our major challenge is how to get out of the economic woods,” he said.