Nigeria Citizen Voice Their Opinions on Current Constitution

A week ago, we published the news about President Goodluck Jonathan’s alleged intention to rewrite Nigeria’s Constitution under assumption that it is the root of problems in our country. We have analyzed hundreds of comments and decided to share our findings with Naij.com readers.
About a half of the online commentators have supported the decision to draft a new version of the Constitution of Nigeria.
Some of them presented their views on the Presidential candidates, emphasized the importance of accessible education and government's support of the unemployed Nigerians.First, let's focus on who Nigerians see as an President for Nigeria, and what penalties they suggest for violating the law:

• the new Constitution should allow the youths to rule, too, because "our children are the leaders of tomorrow";
• religion, marital status or state of origin of the future Nigeria's ruler should not be considered at all;
• the seat of the President should be rotational, with a representative of each tribe serving equal amount of time;
• anybody who has been president before, whether as a military representative or a civilian, should not smell that seat again;
• any leader or civil servant found guilty of corruption should be executed or sentenced to life imprisonment.

Our readers have suggested their various options and innovations as listed below, but piercing through all the opinions was the same concept: With the help of the "improved" Constitution, Nigeria should become a better place to be. The majority called for peace and unity among all Nigerians while pointing out some of our weakest traits.
Lois Lissa Yusuf wrote: All the unemployed should be placed on monthly salary, both the graduates and the illiterate adults. Lots of people are suffering because they are not privileged. While they can’t contribute to the economy of Nigeria yet, the government should support them and help them to get necessary skills to reduce poverty rate in Nigeria. The poverty makes us violent. I, for one, know that Nigerians are hardworking people. Until they find something to earn the money from, they should be placed on a monthly allowance. There are people who cannot afford a square meal, not because they are lazy, but because they don’t have a job or a capital to start a business.

Grant Obialor said: My advice for the President is that he should fish out the “bad eggs” in the House of Representative. He took a very bold step when he suspended the former CBN governor [Lamido Sanusi]. Thus, we are asking him as the President of Nigeria to remove anybody he thinks is against him so that his tenure can be flawless. Most of the people there with him are the ones funding the Boko Haram [terrorist group] to frustrate his work. He should screen the people working with him thoroughly and try to cut down the salary of the senators, because the money they earn per annum is too much.
Myrrh Nice suggested: Tribal discrimination should be crime in Nigeria punished by imprisonment. A new Constitution should recognize us all as Nigerians rather than Christians, Muslims, Northerners, Southerners. A Constitution should see that everyone is equal before the law, whether you be a President, a governor, a senator or a legislator. There should be no exemption from the law, no immunity for presidents and politicians.
Adeniyi Olushina Pomaa offered her opinion: Mr. President, stop the pretence and forget about contesting for the second term. Find a lasting solution to insecurity! Cut down your salary, allowances and privileges and that of others (governors, senators, ministers, ambassadors) – other political office holders will follow the suit. So that the price of Gari can come down, price of petrol can come down. Electricity must be free, education must be free. All NYSC corpers must be paid  until they get job to encourage education. Introduce the death sentence for anybody who have occupied political offices with more than what he or her should possess in a corruption-free country.
John Mbom said: Dissolve the National Assembly, it's a huge waste .Decentralize power.  All former military heads of state should be stripped of all forms of benefits. Make the center less attractive (financially and otherwise). Introduce life sentence for corrupt officials. Scrap the civil Defense Corp, the NYSC, JAMB (give autonomy to universities, etc.). Remove the land use act/ immunity clause.
Prince Boniface Ugwu asserted: I am Strongly behind GEJ. If our state governors, especially in the north-east region, cannot provide 50% of security in their fiefdoms, then we should review our Constitution. Our Constitution has it that we have three governments: Federal, State and Local. If those governments are incapable of providing significant levels of security and developments in their domain, we have no other options than to scrap them and switch to totalitarianism. All states receive huge allocations from federal including security votes: what are they doing with the money? Everyone is waiting for federal Moses to go and redeem his people. Even the senatorial allowances and constituent project money. The senators in north-east, what have they done to assuage the suffering of the sufferers in north east? The senator representing Chibok, what has he done to help the parents of the abducted girls? Some things need to be scrapped out, we need brand new Constitution. They eat money and they don't work.
Anene Moses Chigozie said: Before you talk about a new Constitution, simply ask and digest the following questions:

1. Do Nigerians still believe in an entity called Nigeria?
2. Why did the Federal Government select areas of interest for debate at the ongoing Confab by introduction of the "no go area"?
3. What's the essence of the Confab with the main agenda as a forbidding point of discussion?
4. Why holding only a Conference instead of Sovereign National Conference?
5. Why don't we subject the issue of membership to the entity called Nigeria by different nationalities that made up this country to a referendum, as was the case with Sudan? 

The questions stated above could be attributed to happenings and comments by some prominent Nigerians like Late Ojukwu of defunct Biafra, Lamido of Adamawa of ACF, Asari Dokubo of Niger Delta, Adams of OPC, just to mention a few.
Having a critical look at the activities of many splinter groups like Boko Haram in the core North, Fulani herdsmen in the Middle Belt, OPC in South west, MASSOB in South East and Niger/Delta militants in the South, I suggest we treat the above questions with caution and avoid sentiment to put a stop to the daily bloodshed which could be traced as far back as 1960.
There is strength in unity, but it can only be achieved if everybody including me and you would shun tribal/religious sentiments and work for a common goal. The following should be considered:

1. True federalism to encourage different states to be proactive in the development of their states and to encourage competition among states thereby reducing laziness that some of our brothers from the North are addicted to.
2. Restricting people from marrying more than one wife as is being witnessed in the the North, which has continued to subject our youths to perpetual suffering and frustration thereby promoting suicide attacks and Boko Haram activities in the North. 
3. A single term of 5 years should be considered for our Governors and the President.
4. The issue of federal allocation should stop so as to force our Governors to fix ailing industries and as well attract new ones to enable our teaming youths to be gainfully employed, the allocation is serving only the privileged politicians and should be discouraged.
5. Equality in state and LGs should be considered to correct the impression of marginalization by different ethnic groups.
6. The retirement age should be maintained and restriction of our retired citizens from holding any appointive position or going into contract with any federal or state government owned agency to give way for our young ones.
7. Corrupt leaders should be treated severely, by death penalty or hard labour. 

Prince Reginald Chim Igirigba says: We Nigerians are clamouring for fair government and the Constitution is the only guide to better governance. If the President has called for a total production of a new Constitution it is a welcome development, a call overdue. The 1999 Constitution that has been used till date was authored under the military regime. It still posesses a lot of characteristics of the period. Amendment means management. Why should we manage if we can get new one? We need to back up the President in this call. If we need a pure democratic governance then we need an unadultrated Constitution. Let's remove sentiment in this: Nigeria needs absolute Constitution. After all, the Constitution belongs to the people and not the President. If there is any ulterior motive to his aspiration for a new Constitution, then we will vehemently refuse its passage. The drafting Committee must be selected unpoliticlly and unbiasedly. These processes must be overseed by "We the people". We shall raise a disturbing alrm if there is adultration. All we need now is give him our nods for once and see how it goes. Let's drop sentiment and politics for once on this matter.

Surpisingly, another half of respondents have opposed to the very idea of changing the Constitution. They have stressed in their observations that this is not the main problem Nigeria is currently facing. Our readers explained that little will be achieved by amending the current supreme law of Nigeria, adding that true troubles lie deeper, and enlisted some of them.
Abdulraheem Umar wrote: Constitution is not our problem and can never be. Our big problem is greed, pride , selfishness, lawlessness by the Government and its people. Our problem is lack of love for one another, misunderstanding and hatred based on religion and tribe. We should accept the fact that God is the doer and maker of all things. We are all from the same God. He made the Earth, he made the sky and the Sun. He made different people of different religion, colour, tribe and language. He will be master of the day of Judgment when every man will stand to defend himself or herself. So give us the best Constitution in the world! If there is no change of attitude, It won’t work.
Nimi Alex Agbo said: Our problem is not the Constitution. Our problem is impunity and powerless governmental institutions. We have succeeded in building powerful individuals who are larger than the law. Therefore corruption and bad governance continues unabated. When a man breaks the law and he boasts “Do you know who I am?” what's that? When a soldier is never at fault, what's that? When no one is accountable, what's that? When a man can steal public funds and the judiciary is helpless because he has some ‘powerful’ individuals behind him, what's that? Until we learn to respect the law, we won't get it right.
Ikechukwu Julius Eze said: Our problem is not Constitution-based. Rather, the ill implementation of the most policies is at fault. The power sector should be revived, the government should establish more industries and encourage foreign investment. And above all, security of the citizens should be seen as a priority!
Mohammed Iliyasu said: We Nigerians do not have sincerity of purpose. There is no trust among the ethnic groups that make up the country. We don’t see Nigeria as ours, we see it as nobody's. I totally disagree with Mr. President. What has the Constitution have to do with cover-up on the officer that gave order for the withdrawal of troops an hour to the attack in Yobe recently? What about the cover of politicians that have been mentioned but not investigated? Does this concern the Constitution? Our biggest challenge is lack of national patriotism above religious and sectional interest.
Ody An'gel suggested: To rewrite the Constitution would mean to divide the country. What is the meaning of a country? It is said to be an "area or region of land having particular human occupation or agreed limits, especially inhabited by members of the same race, language, etc." In other words, it means that a country must consist of people with the same language and race. But in Nigeria, Hausa, Yoruba and Igbo have nothing in common! The best decision here would be to divide this country, then the peace will emerge!
Olusoji Otuyelu noted: The problem with Nigeria did not start during this presidency but from the moment the military struck. They ruled this country more than the civilians and had the opportunity to correct the imbalances in the polity but instead created a ruling that continually oppresses and keeps widening the gap between the haves and the have nots. The military should convened a national conference where the various nationalities configured by the British would have fathom all the imbalances in the system. Alas, the country existed only in name and never a nation. All the shenanigans masquerading as leaders would not have held sway had a national sovereignty conference been held years ago. Instead, we allow the tumor to become malignant. We should thank GEJ for convening a conference which has always been a no go area. Let us tell ourselves the home truth or let the conundrum that is called Nigeria continue to exist to the chagrin of the various nationalities.
Andrew Benedict noted: the Constitution has been there before he [Jonathan] came into power, and no doubt a lot has been achieved by past and present leader(s) with d same Constitution. Unfortunately for GEJ, he has received a fair share of criticism because of security challenges characteristic for his tenure. The problem affecting our cooperate existence is the so-called minority and majority ethnic divide in a country where we are suppose to be one! The majority feel he should not govern because of that thin line of divide! Hence, GEJ should (1) fight corruption without fear or favour to redeem himself; (2) create jobs for our youths to keep idle minds busy; (3) crush this insurgency that has turned Nigeria to its former self! (4) to enable small business to flourish and freedom of movement without the fear of being attacked.
Charles Izekor specified the following troubles: The Constitution has been there before GEJ's regime and we did not experience terrorism. The issues are: 1. GEJ has so many politicians, military, his southern brothers, northerners as enemies (2). He is not using most of the powers he has as a President to deal with the terrorism problem. (3). Serious corruption in the military now and in the past is beginning to show its ugly head (huge budget for arms but monies allocated being stolen). (4) Political class playing politics with the lives of the citizens.
Kingsley Jimah observed: I disagree with the President. The current Constitution is not our problem. Our problem are the Presidential subordinates and the so-called party nonsense. My dear President, the Constitution is not our problem, check yourself, and your so-called subordinate very well. They are our problems.
Vesuwe Emmanuel Saviour said: The cause of our problem is the “squander” mentality, corruption, ethnocentrism, insensitivity of our leaders to the plight of the masses, religious fanaticism. When these are tackled, I believe Nigeria will move forwar
Peewit Pictures agreed with his opinions listed above: It’s about the people that govern this country. The Constitution does not give room to corruption, inequality and injustice as we have experienced lately and in the past. If a captain of a ship lacks sailing skills, the ship will definitely sink and that's exactly what's going on in Nigeria right now. The question is, are our leaders ready to serve their fatherland in truthful manner? Are they ready to carry the followers along in the right direction with honesty? Unite the country and not with the usual kangaroo approach we are used to? Do the right thing at the right time on time without fear or favour? That's how it’s done in other modern countries, but the reverse its always the case here in Nigeria!
Orunbato Ohye asked: What is wrong about the resent Constitution? Is that not the same Constitution President Olusegun Obasanjo used to rule us during his 1st and 2nd term in office? Then, it was militant kidnapping, but things are still little under control. With the current government, Boko Haram are killing innocent Nigerians and nothing is done about it. So tell me, will rewriting the Constitution stop Boko Haram or corruption in Nigeria? They are just trying to change things to their side, they are behind everything.
Theophilus McIsrael said: Constitution is not the first problem of this nation. The primary cause of our problem is that everyone wants to have a taste of politics. People now see politics as the quickest way to get rich. Constitution amendment should be based on the politics itself, making political offices a place of service rather than a place of gathering wealth. It’s because of political offices that people are engaged in killing and all sorts of crimes.
Henry Oj Wateva wrote: This will not make any difference unless we brought back our united Nigeria. The Constitution should focus on bringing back common values, so that our promising youths would not be willing to invest their talents and potential in other countries. So that the death of a single Nigerian would cause a massive revolt both by the government and the people. The Constitution should consolidate strong and true love for ourselves! Then, every other necessity will fall into place!
What are your views on the issue? Will a new Constitution help improve matters in Nigeria?
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