2 weeks ago
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A erstwhile president of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Wole Olanipekun (SAN), has stressed the request for the state to travel up with the people’s constitution.
He urged the National Assembly to instrumentality enactment connected the ongoing amendment to the 1999 Constitution for cardinal and important reasons.
He spoke yesterday erstwhile helium delivered the Afe Babalola University Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) 13th convocation lecture titled “Nigeria – Yesterday, Today And Tomorrow: Imperative of A Sober And Definite Recalibration.”
Olanipekun said, “Nigeria contiguous needs to beryllium rebranded, re-orientated , re-evaluated , revamped, resuscitated. Since this contiguous Constitution was said to beryllium successful the ‘bakery’ oregon ‘oven’ , I had joined the vanguard of those clamoring for people’s constitution, peculiar to the antecedents and nuances of Nigeria: a constitution that volition look done statement oregon adjacent consensus, a constitution that volition beryllium negotiated upon during cross- fertilization of ideas, a constitution of communal knowing and collaboration: a constitution that volition beryllium subjected to a referendum, aft which astir Nigerians volition beryllium capable to asseverate that this is our Constitution” .
The erstwhile Chairman of the assemblage of Nigerian Benchers said, “Rather than a specified amendment to the constitution, what is needed is simply a wholly caller rebranding; it should beryllium wholly restructured to execute the desired result.
“Call it autochthonous Constitution, oregon immoderate different name, it has to beryllium a renegotiated papers that volition pave the mode for a caller societal order. We cannot proceed to unrecorded by the 1999 Constitution, which haunts america arsenic a subject albatross.
“Let america get a aureate leafage from different countries of the satellite and find to unrecorded together, connected appreciable presumption and conditions. By suggesting to the National Assembly to instrumentality enactment connected immoderate law amendment for now, 1 is not advocating a authorities of anomie, oregon normlessness.
“Rather, I americium proposing a modulation period, betwixt present and 2031, a signifier that volition springiness america capable clip to bespeak connected the ills plaguing, oregon that person plagued our erstwhile constitutions to date”
Olanipekun, who spoke connected lopsidedness successful section assembly organisation crossed the regions, said that with the circumstances above, a nationalist referendum whitethorn go inevitable.
“I privation to taxable that, successful the circumstances of my earlier recommendations, I privation to taxable that a referendum has go overdue.
“A referendum is the solemn enactment by which a radical collectively talk successful unison to determine matters of sedate nationalist importance.
” Over the centuries, specified had been deployed to find issues, arsenic cardinal arsenic independence, territorial belonging, law reordering, and the Recalibration of governmental unions, it represents the dependable of the Dena’s, I mean unfiltered and undiluted, speaking louder than the accustomed rhetoric of politicians, oregon the manoeuvres of the elites”, helium said.
On the contented of nationalist security, Olanipekun said, without prejudice to his earlier submission that the National Assembly should instrumentality enactment connected the amendment to the 1999 Constitution, State, Community, Provincial, and Zonal constabulary formations should beryllium established now, and without delay.
While commending the laminitis of the University, Afe Babalola (SAN), for his outstanding contributions to uplifting the Nigerian nation, done his instrumentality prowess, acquisition emancipation and wide developmental efforts.
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