Constitution Review waste of time, public funds — Afenifere

…Says NASS part of issues to be determined in process of restructuring

Following the move by the National Assembly to review the 1999 Constitution with the zonal public hearing organised by the Senate Ad hoc committee, the Pan-Yoruba Socio- Political association, Afenifere, has described the exercise as a waste of time as well as waste of public fund. According to the mainstream Yoruba group, the session of the two arms of the National Assembly, since 2007, had embarked on the same jamboree of constitutional amendment, spending public funds on public hearings, without any result.

Speaking on why the group did not submit memorandum at the two-day public hearing held across the country’s geopolitical zones, the General Secretary of the group, Sola Ebiseeni, in an interview with journalists in Akure, the Ondo State capital, disclosed that Afenifere believed in total restructuring of the country and true federalism.

While emphasizing that the National Assembly must also be discussed in the process of restructuring, Ebiseni stated that the exercise will not solve the country’s series of challenges. Ebiseni said: “Afenifere believes in and advocates fundamental restructuring of Nigeria for the reinvention of a federal constitution as the agreed principles of governing Nigeria and its diverse ethnic nationalities by our founding fathers, which will ultimately replace the imposed 1999 unitary constitution. “Amending the constitution is an exercise in futility and a waste of time and public fund.

We cannot claim to be a Federal Republic and be governed by a unitary constitution. “We cannot claim to be in a democracy and be governed by a constitution that does not emanate from the people. Amendment will not cure the anomalies. You cannot put something on nothing and expect it to stand.

“Every session of the two arms of the National Assembly, since 2007, has embarked on the same jamboree of constitutional amendment, spending public funds on public hearings, without any result. The group’s General Secretary added that, “The National Assembly is part of the issues to be determined in the process of restructuring and cannot legitimately be the judge in such exercise.

“This is evident from the condemnation of the declarations of the Southern Governors in support of restructuring by both the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives while the Committees, as agents of the National Assembly, were gallivanting round the country. From nothing, nothing comes. Ex nihilo nihil fit. “Besides, all the issues submitted for deliberations by the Committee were deliberated upon and the reports submitted to the National Assembly.” (New Telegraph)