Lagos-based lawyer Abdul Kehinde has called for a new constitution after 22 years of existence of the 1999 constitution.
Mr Kehinde, in a Facebook post on Wednesday, said constitutional change would stop the growing agitations in different parts of the country.
“Today (Wednesday) is 5th of May, 2021 which makes it exactly 22 years that our current 1999 Constitution came into existence. The 1999 Constitution commenced operation on *5th day of May, 1999*,” he wrote.
“To me 2023 looks near but still very far for us to do the needful on our 1999 Constitution before the General election. The time has come for us to do away with the lies we have been feeding ourselves with, which is particularly contained in the PREAMBLE of the 1999 Constitution at page 22 precisely. It says and I quote:
“‘WE THE PEOPLE of the Federal Republic of Nigeria: HAVING firmly and solemnly resolved:…’ May I humbly ask at this juncture; the day, time and place or occasion that WE THE PEOPLE of Federal Republic of Nigeria sat and resolve to give ourselves a constitution?”
Many Nigerians have made similar calls, saying a change of constitution would stop secessionist ideologies from spreading in different regions.
“This wooden lie to ourselves did not start today or even in 1999. Our 1963, 1979 and also the 1989 Constitution that never saw the light of the day had similar provision in them. The closest constitution of the people was the 1946 Richards Constitution in Nigeria,” Kehinde added.
