Nigeria needs a new constitution, says Obasanjo

A former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has said Nigeria needs a new constitution in order to move forward as country. He spoke at the first memorial lecture of Dr. Fredrick Fasehun, founder of the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC), in Lagos. 

The former President also said Nigeria must address the agitation for restructuring for the country to move forward. Obasanjo stressed that restructuring would solve the nationwide agitation by ethnic nationalities. 

He said: “Nigeria therefore needs a new constitution which will contain the aspirations, fears and realities of the present state of Nigeria.” According to him, the spate of insecurity in the country has fuelled the agitation for regional security network. He said governors as the chief security officers of their respective states cannot afford to keep mum in the face of kidnapping, banditry, Boko Haram attacks ravaging their people. 

“All that our governors are doing to fight insecurity, let us join forces with them for the success of quality security in the country. If we don’t have quality security, it will lead the country to doom,” he said. 

While noting that the unity of Nigeria is sacrosanct, Obasanjo vowed that he would continue to fight for national unity until his death. He decried the suspicion among ethnic groups and regions in the country, saying: 

“The language we are using to address ourselves across the region now is uncouth and it must not continue. “I will continue to fight for Nigeria’s unity until I die. But this fight is not to make my children and my race second class citizens.” 

“Divide Nigeria” agitation Obasanjo noted that agitation in the last century and during his presidency was for true federalism but it has shifted to restructuring. “When I was president, what we met and what was happening especially with Abacha regime, people were clamouring for ‘True Federalism’ not ‘Divide Nigeria’. 

“Now people are not clamouring for true federalism again, everybody is talking about restructuring. “If we don’t address restructuring, they may go from restructuring to self-determination and this will be a serious problem. “

If Boko Haram can get external support, any group that decided to go will get support from within and outside.” He said the late Fasehun was concerned about the lopsided political structure and arrangement in the country and he would love to see these concerns addressed.