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Nigerians Need A Better Constitution That Will Address Anomalies In The System–Chief Umenzekwe
You said some Nigerians are calling for new a constitution, while others are calling for a review of the existing constitution. All of them are patriotic Nigerians calling for a better working document for Nigeria.
Chief Modestus Umenzekwe in his recent interview with New Telegraph, said that Nigerians need a better constitution that will address anomalies the system of the country.
Umenzekwe is an Igbo man based in Lagos State of Nigeria and a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He calls for a new constitution, addressed the need for Lagos State to be accorded priority in the nation’s budget, and other developments in the Nigerian polity.
Below is the full read of the interview:
You are an advocate of a special status in the federal budget for Lagos State; do you still insist that Lagos should be accorded a special status?
My answer to that question is yes and if you ask me the same question tomorrow I will still say yes as I told you yes many years back.
You see, I am from Anambra State, a very lovely state, but that will not stop me from saying the truth. Lagos State set the pace for economic and infrastructural advancement of this country.
In the 7th Assembly, I made a publication advising the then National Assembly, led by most respected senator, David Mark, to give support to a bill sponsored by our now First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, requesting that Lagos should be given special status in the budget.
In 2018, I repeated my call that the National Assembly should revisit the Lagos State special status bill, but all those things were turned down. I was like a lone voice crying in the wilderness. But bear in mind that most of the members of the National Assembly and big men in this country emanated from Lagos.
When we were in secondary school, if we were going on holiday during the long vacation, we would be asking ourselves where are you going to spend your holidays and you would find out that 80 percent of our school mates then would say they are going to Lagos. Look at the heavy trucks on the streets of Lagos, the vehicular pressure on the roads of Lagos, the waterways. Look at the Third Mainland Bridge; every day there is work going on there because of pressure.
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And you know water in Lagos is salty, it is not friendly water, so it takes the state a chunk of money from the budget to maintain Lagos. I don’t see it as what the state can carry alone. Now, they are talking about the Fourth Mainland Bridge, which is still aimed at also trying to decongest and open up channels for vehicular movements and transportation issues.
They are filling some parts of the ocean, to accommodate Nigerians, not only Lagosians, so I don’t see the reason why that bill did not see the light of the day. About 80 percent of National Assembly members, directly or indirectly are in Lagos, they have property here, they have their families here, so we shouldn’t play politics with the clamour for a special status for Lagos.
Are you advocating that the bill be reintroduced or that the old bill should be dusted up since Senator Oluremi Tinubu is no longer in the Senate?
Either way; they should revisit it because the papers are there. So, the three senators representing Lagos should rise to the occasion as members of the public are ready to support that Lagos be accorded a special status in the constitution to be amended or the new constitution to be drafted.
Some Nigerians are calling for a review of the constitution, while others are calling for an entirely new constitution or even many are advocating that the 2014 National Conference report should be dusted up. Where do you stand in all these?
You said some Nigerians are calling for new a constitution, while others are calling for a review of the existing constitution. All of them are patriotic Nigerians calling for a better working document for Nigeria.
That is the way l look at it. There is no way we can be living without change. There are so many things that are not in the constitution that are supposed to be there, and there are so many things that are lopsided that are supposed to be adjusted.
For instance, the South-East don’t have equal states like other geopolitical zones, and I think it is the constitutional review that will take care of all these things for us to get one or two additional states like others.
So, whether you call it new constitution or constitution review, the most important thing is that there is the need for us to have a better working document to better the lives of Nigerians. It might lead us to devolution of power, which will be a modification of the 1963 Constitution.
If it is done; some of these crises here and there will calm down. You know that late constitutional lawyer, Prof Ben Nwabueze advocated for this despite the fact that he was part of those who drafted what we are using now during the military era.
So, let the debate continue, let the conversation go on, let Nigerians say their mind, let everybody talk. The National Assembly will now harmonise the whole thing and marry it with the 2014 National Conference report.
For me, it is a matter of nomenclature, whether you call it confab or whatever; the most important thing is that we are talking about a better working document for Nigerians. Some of the recommendation of the 2014 National conference must have been obsolete, so the National Assembly has a responsibility.
It is a very serious task; either reviewing the existing constitution or drafting a new one, or reviewing the 2024 national confab report, or marrying the three documents to bring the best. In fact, I encourage them to go into eclectic fashion of points and ideas to give us a better working document.
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar recently paid a courtesy call to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari and several meanings have been read to the visit. What do you make of the visit; do you think it is about the politics of 2027?
I have not discussed with Atiku or former President Buhari, so I can’t give you any cogent answer. I don’t know what was in Atiku’s mind; whether he went on the invitation of Buhari or on his own volition.
But we must eschew bitterness in politics after all Buhari are Atiku are northerners and they are Nigerians, so nothing stops two Nigerians from meeting.
If there is any other political undertone, I don’t know and I don’t see it as a serious issue. The other day I read in the papers that former President Olusegun Obasanjo visited the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu. What is bad about it? Having different political inclination should not bring enmity.
That is the way I look at all these things. So, whether Atiku has any political motive for visiting Buhari, I don’t know because I can’t speak for him.
Are you not worried over the visit given the speculation that some Northern political leaders are plotting to stop President Bola Tinubu in 2027?
Before 2015, I granted an interview and said that APC will spring surprises, and it did. We also did it again in 2023. In 2027, we will still spring surprises. And I have said it time without number that APC will rule for 16 years as PDP did.
There is a move by some lawmakers to reach out to the President for a possible release of leader of Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu. What do you take of it?
I am an Igbo man and Nnamdi Kanu is our son. All these court cases will not help out. Let him be released through a political arrangement and we will take him home, discuss with him and correct him on areas where he misfired.
Where he has gotten it right, we will support him. So, my position is whether some lawmakers are signing for his release or not, let the Federal Government adopt a political approach and release him.
What is your advice to Nigerians given the state of the nation?
My advice to Nigerians is to be prayerful and look on to God and also try to show changes wherever we feel we are getting it wrong, right from our families to the seat of power. Then, let us criticise constructively.
When you come out and talk with a mindset, you are bound to make mistakes. Also, let us at all times protect the image of this country. We don’t have any other country.
I don’t see any sense when some people keep running Nigeria down and they are a Nigerians. So, let us at all times try to protect the image of this country and criticize those in public offices constructively because nobody is Mr. know all.