From Priscilla Ediare, Ado-Ekiti
The former Secretary- General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, has called on the Federal Government to come up with a new constitution to address diversity, which is a major challenge working against a pluralistic nation like Nigeria.
Anyaoku made the call on Friday at the Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti (ABUAD) 2023 Convocation Lecture with the theme: ‘Management Of Diversity: A Major Challenge to Governance In Pluralistic Countries.’
The event was part of activities lined up for the 11th convocation and 13th anniversary ceremony of ABUAD.
In his speech, Anyaoku, who said Nigeria is a diverse country whose main component parts had lived separately for centuries in their respective areas with their different cultures and were able to successfully manage the country’s diversity in the early years of her independence, lamented that things started to change when the military intervened in the country’s governance.
“It is an undeniable fact that Nigeria’s diversity was more successfully managed in the early years of the country’s independence. During that period, Nigeria’s diversity was perceived by all as a source of strength and inspirer of national unity. There were no inter-regional tensions, and in the perception and conduct of its citizens, the country had begun to evolve into a nation that was credibly aspiring to realise its huge potentials. But all this changed when the military intervened in the country’s governance in January 1966 and changed the existing constitution.
He said since the intervention of the military in governance, “there is unprecedented level of divisiveness and declining sense of national unity, the economy is in doldrums with 133 million of our population in multidimensional poverty. There is great insecurity,” he said.
The former Secretary-General who expressed optimism that Nigeria as a pluralistic country can become an asset and not liability noted that the country is still salvageable. He called on President Bola Tinubu and the National Assembly to consider a new constitution which according to him is “to arrest the ongoing deterioration of the situation in the country.”
“To achieve the desired transformation for the better, we need a system of government that not only addresses our diversity, but is also based on a constitution that can correctly be described as a Nigerian people’s constitution.”
In his remarks, the founder of ABUAD, Aare Afe Babalola, commended the Anyaoku for sharing his thoughts on the need to transform the country through a new constitution,
He said the provisions in the 1999 constitution have made politicians to regard politics as a business enterprise, hence the urgent need for a new constitution.