Nigerian Constitution Can’t Guarantee Security Of Lives, It Must Be Replaced – Ex- NBA President

A former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief Wole Olanipekun ( SAN), has said the 1999 Constitution which is being used to rule the country cannot guarantee effective security.

Olanipekun said this while delivering the 13th convocation lecture of the Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State on Wednesday.

Speaking on the topic, ” Beyond the Pandemic: Creating an evolving new normal,” he said the constitution which allowed only the Federal Government to control the police was deceptive.

He said the constitution was not ammendable and should be replaced. In order to address the foundational problems hindering good governance in the country.

Olanipekun said, “The present constitutional architecture which has conspired and aggregated all security outfits in the Federal Government cannot, by any stretch of imagination, allow any government, whether at the federal or state level, to perform its basic responsibility to the citizenry, that is, protection of life and property.

“I am not aware of any federal constitution in the world that forbids any state, community or a group of people in any particular location from having their own security outfits, particularly police formations, as the 1999 Constitution forbids such a desirable and inalienable right through its section 214 (1) which enacts thus:

“There shall be a police Force for Nigeria, which shall be known as the Nigeria Police Force, and subject to the provisions of this section no other police Force shall be established for the Federation or any part thereof.

“Let us pause for a moment to remind ourselves that Nigeria has a landmass of 923,768 km²; 36 states, with a Federal Capital Territory; over 300 ethnic nationalities, with a combined population of about 206 million people etc.

” How do we or can we reasonably expect a centrally or federally controlled Police Force from Abuja to secure the the country, either substantially or in all ramifications? This is impossible; and the honest deduction from this provision alone is that the Constitution is unrealistic, deceptive and pretentious.”

Olanipekun said late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, was able to achieve so much in the Western Region because of the nature of the constitution which was used to ruled at that time.

He said the first television station in Africa was established without getting an approval from the Federal Government and the University of Ife

Olanipekun said, “Nigeria is functioning, not too disproportionate from the way it has been designed to function by those who imposed the present Constitution on us, falsely labelled as “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999”.

“Every properly functioning nation has a master plan which is ingrained in its Constitution. The present normal, which is virtually landing us in a conundrum, is that we are bedevilled with a constitution which in its very essence and content, does not represent any honest, genuine and sincere Constitution.

“To compound this complicated problem is the arrogant attempt being made by the National Assembly to amend a Constitution that has no author and, by extension, no bona fide origin.

“With much respect to the National Assembly members, what Nigeria needs is not a constitutional amendment but a constitutional replacement; for the present constitution cannot be amended it is unamendable.

“This is apart from the fact that most members of the National Assembly are not politically contiguous to their constituents, for security and diverse reasons. Abuja has now become their home and haven.

“Federal Government and the servant being the States, whose respective Governors are cajoled as Chief Security Officers when, in fact, they do not have control of/over any security outfit or agency.

” The States which are supposed to be the federating units have become the conquered and subjugated territories under the emerging fiefdom of the Federal Government. “