WE THE PEOPLE
By Bolaji Akinyemi
In the midst of our search for a credible constitution by which the country can be taken to task and nudge towards nation building came the ruling of the Supreme court on local government autonomy.
The Supreme court ruling, which Governor Makinde aptly described as a distraction, actually complicated the problem for our search for a people’s constitution, necessitating the urgency of the need for We the People of Nigeria to put out ideas for a credible CFRN
Other reactions have trailed the pronouncement of the Supreme Court, poignant again is the one from Galadima Daffo, Da Jonathan Sunday Akuns, who opined thus; “the litigation is all about a political calculation towards the 2027 election cycle aimed at fore stalling the efficacy of political alliances. LGAs will be the focus of the presidential election initiative and the parameter for action. Direct payment of FAAC funds to LGAs is a contravention of some other sections of the said 1999 Constitution; hence, it may stir fresh legal arguments”.
“The gamut of the litigation underscores our stance for restructuring to enthrone fiscal federalism in Nigeria away from the ongoing tragedy of unitarism, in so many ways than one; the governance framework in Nigeria is anchored on military democracy vide decrees starting from 15.1.1966 when 1963 republican constitution was suspended, the two documents often referenced as constitution of 1979 or 1999 are simply decrees 104 and 24 respectively as professional political process of the military in handling seizure of power without the mandate of We the People vide universal adult suffrage of partisanship, LGAs as a 3rd tier of government negates federalism in theory cum practice anywhere in the world, etc.
We await the next steps of the FGN and other stakeholders in dealing with the outcome of the Supreme Court verdict on LGA litigation.” Nothing has necessitated the need for a new constitution than the pronouncement of the Supreme Court on LGA autonomy. Now is the time for citizens driven by values beyond tribal supremacy to come together to chronicle a document that all Nigerians can trust and relate with; to enthrone and amend the 1963 republican CFRN with contemporary realities provides a sturdy watershed.
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