Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth Secretary-General, has warned that Nigeria’s continued adherence to the 1999 Constitution will prevent the country from achieving meaningful development.
He argued that the constitution, which he described as “unitary,” is not suitable for Nigeria’s pluralistic society and called for a new, truly federal constitution that could address the country’s challenges.
Anyaoku made the remarks at the launch of the book The Noble Academic and Patriot: A Biography of Emeritus Professor Akinjide Osuntokun at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs (NIIA) in Lagos.
As chairman of the occasion, he emphasized that countries which have successfully managed their diversity did so by adopting genuine federal constitutions, citing India, Canada, and Switzerland as prime examples.
“Nigeria, like many other countries, is a pluralistic society, with diverse peoples living in separate geographical areas, with different histories, cultures, languages, and religions,” Anyaoku explained.
“The universal lesson is that pluralistic countries, which have survived as single political entities in unity and progress, are those that address their pluralism, that is, their diversity, with genuine federal constitutions. Examples of such countries are India, Canada, and Switzerland.”
He contrasted these successful countries with those that failed to manage their diversity, citing the disintegration of Yugoslavia, Czechoslovakia, and Sudan as examples of the dangers of inadequate constitutional frameworks.
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“Yugoslavia, after 74 years, broke into seven sovereign states; Czechoslovakia split into two; East Timor separated from Indonesia, and Sudan eventually broke into two separate countries,” Anyaoku said.
“I believe, therefore, that if our pluralistic Nigeria is to achieve true unity and political stability, and to successfully tackle the serious challenges that the country faces, it must have a truly federal constitution.”
The elder statesman stressed that Nigeria’s challenges were not solely a matter of leadership but were deeply rooted in the flaws of the 1999 Constitution.
According to him, even the intervention of an angel would not be enough to solve Nigeria’s problems under the current system.
“The divisiveness, the underperforming economy with the resultant massive poverty, the insecurity, the humongous corruption and the other major challenges currently facing Nigeria – not even Angel Gabriel or Mala‘ika Jibril could tackle them with the 1999 Constitution,” Anyaoku stated.
He also cautioned that the federal government and National Assembly must act without delay to adopt a constitution that reflects the principles of Nigeria’s 1960/63 Constitution, which was negotiated by the country’s founding fathers and widely considered to have promoted national unity and stability.
“As many of us will remember, Nigeria was more united, more stable, and developing towards achieving its potential after that constitution, until the military intervened in governance in January 1966,” Anyaoku noted. “The military introduced a unitary constitution that has virtually existed, albeit in different forms, until today.”
The event was attended by prominent figures, including Nigeria’s First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu, represented by her Senior Special Adviser on Policy, Strategy, and Logistics, Wahab Alawiye-King; former Ekiti State Governor Dr. Kayode Fayemi; 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate Mr. Peter Obi; former presidential spokesperson Mr. Reuben Abati; Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr. Gbenga Omotoso; and others such as Pastor Tunde Bakare, media mogul Dele Momodu, and former Deputy Governor of Lagos State Senator Bucknor Akerele.
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