Constitution review not panacea for Nigeria’s problems – Ex-Ambassador

By Adejoke Adeleye Monsurat

Former Nigerian Ambassador to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola, has stated emphatically that the review of the constitution is not the panacea for the economic and other multitudes of challenges confronting the country.

He made the assertion while speaking at the 7th annual lecture of Pen Pushing Media held in Abeokuta, Ogun state, noted that creation of jobs and opportunities for Nigerians would easy address the country’s economy challenges.

According to him job creation in an enabling environment would foster economic growth and development.

He expressed concern on the ritualistic nature of constitutional review in Nigeria, arguing that it is not a panacea for the country’s problems.

Instead, he advocated for a more comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying issues hindering the effective functioning of the federal system.

This, according to him, includes examining the federating units, sub-national governments, and fiscal federalism to ensure that resources are allocated effectively.

The former Ambassador also emphasized the need for functional local government administrations, rather than the current system that often limits their effectiveness.

He recalled the past when local governments were more effective and had departments like Public Works Department (PWD) that contributed to their functionality.

Isola stressed that the emphasis should be on the people, as leaders are a reflection of the society. He noted that bad leadership is often a result of a flawed society and addressing issues like illiteracy and poverty is crucial to good governance.

According to him, “democracy in Nigeria will continue to face challenges until the issues of illiteracy and poverty are adequately addressed”

“We will not continuously do constitutional review , it has become a ritual now.

“The United States Constitution has been written for how many years ago. That means the constitution is still a work in progress documents. You should be able to sit down and look into all the issues that are necessary for the federal system to work very well, look at the Federating unit , we look that the sub national , and we look at the physical federalism, what kind of regular revenues you go to states, or should go to local government”.

He pointed out that in advanced countries, democracy works because the basic needs of citizens are met, enabling them to make informed decisions and participate effectively in the democratic process.

Like you know, in our younger days , local government was working. We had the PWD these are things that we should sit down, look at and look at the resources that should be that we need to run the system”.

“But like I always say, emphasis should be on the people. We have continuously been calling our leaders up. Leaders are just microcosm of the society. So if the people are bad, they will produce bad leadership”.