Archbishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev Fr Matthew Hassan Kukah, says the persistent problem of Nigeria is directly tied to the Constitution.
Kukah, who stated this while delivering a keynote address at the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) Conference in Port Harcourt said the Constitution “does not inspire the ability of its citizens.
He attributed the persistent problem with the Constitution to the people that reviewed it, adding that they should be held responsible for the issues in the country and the Constitution.
“Citizens must see a reflection of themselves in the Constitution, we must all come together to face reality; we must manage the ingredients that accommodate all classes of the people while reviewing the Constitution. In reviewing the constitution, citizenship, national orientation, followership and leadership must be put into considerations as good leaders.
“An authority is what legitimates a leader, as you cannot lead by not having a clear picture of where you are going. The inability of the Constitution as well as its lack of capacity to make peace with the ordinary citizens is a fundamental problem,” he added.
On judicial activism, Kukah urged every judge to know that the judicial system is a matter that is on trial, and stated that Nigerians are mentally exhausted.
“Nigerians are exhausted, mentally and physically. We must ask how we got to this point. How did we end up with a country that performs below installed capacity?
“I do not know any other country that amends its Constitution more frequently than Nigeria, and starts all over again; so much that talking about constitutional amendment attracts derision. The United States in hundreds of years has amended their Constitution only 27 times. Yet, our problems seem tied to our Constitution; its inability to solve problems that confront the nation.”
The cleric maintained that the problem with the Nigerian Constitution could be the quality of persons Nigeria send to the constitutional conferences to review the supreme law of the land.
”It is used as a favour because presidents and governors handpick those to go. The least objective they have in mind is getting a near-perfect Constitution to guide the country. At last, tribal activists come together to argue for their interests.
”Ethno-religious giants have seized the nation by the jogular, thus, Nigeria develops in reverse. The price Nigeria pays is our failure to give ourselves a proper Constitution. We fail to understand the difference between leaders and office holders. You can have office but you have no authority. We suffer from collective ignorance of one another.” the cleric said.
He urged judges to defend the land positing that each time a case is in court, it is not just two parties on trial but the whole nation is on trial.
He urged lawyers to make a choice whether to serve the rich and powerful or for the public.
The bishop said because he believes in Nigeria, he turned down the possibility of United States’ citizenship. “I said if I do so, I would be telling God that he made a mistake by putting me here. Nigeria will not break”
While suggesting that the constitution should be a document for negotiation,
Kukah said It was a spectacular development for election results to be transmitted electronically and commended the Senate for passing to law the bill on the transmission of results electronically.