Former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku has urged the federal government and National Assembly not to delay removing the 1999 Constitution, saying the country may disintegrate like other pluralistic countries that failed to manage their pluralism with a genuine federal constitution.
The elder statesman stated this at the launch of the book The Noble Academic and Patriot: A Biography of Emeritus Professor Akinjide Osuntokun,’ held at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, NIIA, in Lagos.
Anyaoku, who picked holes in the 1999 Constitution, which he described as unitary, pointed out that united and progressive pluralistic countries addressed their diversity with true federal constitutions.
Those who graced the NIIA for the launch included the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, represented by Senior Special Adviser on Policy, Strategy and Logistics, Wahab Alawiye-King; presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in the 2023 polls, Mr Peter Obi, former Ekiti State governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotoso; Spokesperson to former President Goodluck Jonathan, Mr Reuben Abati; Chairman of the Editorial Board of Nation Newspapers, Sam Omastseye; former Commonwealth; former Minister of Health, Prince Julius Adeluyi; Serving Overseer of the Citadel Global Community, Pastor Tunde Bakare.
Others were the National Coordinator of Obidient Movement, Yunusa Tanko; Publisher of Ovation International, Dele Momodu; Dare Babarinsa, former Deputy Governor of Lagos State; Bucknor Akerele, governorship candidate of the LP in Lagos State; Gbadebo Rhodes-Vivour; Erelu Kuti of Lagos; Erelu Abiola Dosunmu; media guru; Dr Yemi Ogunbiyi; and former presidential adviser Akin Osuntokun.
In his speech, Anyaoku, the chairman of the occasion, said Nigeria, like many other countries, was a pluralistic country whose population comprised peoples long established in their separate geographical areas with different histories, cultures, languages and religions.
He said: “The universal lesson is that pluralistic countries, which have survived as single political entities in unity and progress, are those that address their pluralism, that is, their diversity, with genuine federal constitutions. Examples of such countries are India, Canada and Switzerland.
The other pluralistic countries, which failed to manage their pluralism with actual federal constitutions, eventually disintegrated.
“Examples of these include Yugoslavia, which after 74 years of existence broke into seven sovereign states; Czechoslovakia, which separated into two independent states; East Timor, which separated from Indonesia, and coming nearer home here in Africa, Sudan, which broke into two separate countries after almost 3,000 years of existence as a country.
Therefore, I believe that if our pluralistic Nigeria is to achieve true unity and political stability and tackle the serious challenges that the country faces successfully, it must have a truly federal constitution.”
According to him, the trouble with Nigeria was not political leadership. He noted that with the 1999 Constitution, not even Angel Gabriel or Mala`ika Jibril could tackle Nigeria’s challenges.
He said: “The divisiveness, the underperforming economy with the resultant massive poverty, the insecurity, the humongous corruption, and the other major challenges currently facing Nigeria. My warning, therefore, is that to preserve our country, the Federal Government and the National Assembly should no longer delay in acting on what is a universal lesson. We must have an actual Nigerian people democratic constitution based on the principles that underlie our 1960/63 Constitution, which was hence technically negotiated and agreed upon by the founding fathers of independent Nigeria.
“As many of us in this room will remember, Nigeria was more united, more stable, and developing towards achieving its potential after that constitution until the military intervened in governance in January 1966 and introduced a unitary constitution that has virtually existed, albeit in different forms, until today.”
In his remarks at the occasion, the Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the 2023 polls, Mr Peter Obi, lamented that Nigeria had cultivated a culture of celebrating those who contributed nothing to nation-building, saying such practice was gradually destroying the country.
“This is (education) what we want to celebrate. That is what is lacking in our society today. When the National Universities Commission (NUC) Secretary-General said they are looking for PhD people to teach in our universities. I called him and said, why do you want anybody to do PhD when you do not pay them, and you pay thugs 100 times what they are paid? We are choosing the least among us to be our role models. And that is destroying our society.”
The book reviewer, Dr Kayode Fayemi, said: “The authors informed us that the book project was conceived in 2018 after Professor Osuntokun served as Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of the Council of the Ekiti State University, Ado-Ekiti. Professor Osuntokun graciously authorised the biography in 2021 by granting the authors extensive interviews and two virtual interviews and providing access to his library and archives.
“The book manuscript, in nine crisp and concise chapters with three appendices, started in the first chapter by tracing the genealogy of Professor Osuntokun. The authors provide extensive evidence of family history, entrepreneurial insight and pacesetting influence in the community to explain the values and attributes we later associate with Professor Osuntokun.
“The chapter covered in great detail the struggles his bold forbearance waged in the course of establishing a clan in Oke-Mesi and their involvement in the federating military of Ekiti and Ijesa against the rampaging Ibadan army in the Kiriji war.”
