By Hosea Parah
Members of the National Christian Elders Forum (NCEF) has called for the adoption of a new constitution for Nigeria, describing it as the most effective solution to the country’s persistent political, security, and governance challenges.
Addressing leaders of the Southern and Middle Belt socio-cultural groups in Abuja comprising representatives of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), Afenifere and The Middle Belt Form, the National Chairman of the Christian Elders Forum Dr Samuel Danjuma Gani, said the current 1999 Constitution, as amended, was originally a military decree designed to facilitate the transition from military to civilian rule and no longer meets the constitutional needs of a democratic federation.
In a paper titled ‘New Constitution as panacea to the multi-dimensional crises in Nigeria,’ Gani contended that the current constitution lacks the consent and participation of Nigeria’s indigenous ethnic nationalities, noting that its opening declaration, “We the People,” does not reflect how it was produced.
According to him, Nigeria urgently requires a people-driven constitution that recognizes the country’s indigenous ethnic nationalities as the true federating units, in line with the principles of true federalism.
The NCEF chairman lamented that successive civilian administrations since 1999 had failed to produce a constitution that genuinely reflects the aspirations and diversity of Nigeria’s constituent peoples. He also criticized the National Assembly’s repeated constitutional amendment exercises, describing them as ineffective in addressing the nation’s structural problems.
Gani recalled that a 2013 conference identified no fewer than 389 indigenous ethnic nationalities in Nigeria, stressing that any new constitutional framework should acknowledge their unique identities, interests, and rights.
He maintained that the 1963 Republican Constitution remains the only constitution that adequately reflected Nigeria’s federal character because it was negotiated by the country’s founding fathers through a democratic process before it was suspended by the military in 1966.
The NCEF chairman proposed that Nigeria should return to the principles of the 1963 Constitution while allowing the National Assembly to amend its administrative structure to accommodate any number of federating units agreed upon by the country’s indigenous ethnic nationalities.
He said restructuring Nigeria through a new constitution is both necessary and unavoidable, warning that further delay could have serious consequences for national unity and development.
The national chairman urged the Southern and Middle Belt socio-cultural organizations to contribute ideas toward achieving a workable constitutional framework, expressing confidence that collaborative efforts would produce lasting solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.