Constitution Review: Akeredolu Backs Return To 1963 Constitution

Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Wednesday, backed
the call for the country to return to the use of the 1963
Constitution.

Governor Akeredolu spoke while declaring open the Zonal Public
hearing of the review of the 1999 Constitution held at the Cultural
and International Event Centre, Akure.

Akeredolu stated that the powers of the federal government must
be trimmed down as it was the major of friction in the country and
politics of bitterness.

He warned that the current attempt at the Constitution amendment
should be taken beyond the usual jamboree conceived and executed to
arrive at predetermined result.

The Ondo Governor said the 1963 Constitution which reflected the
Republican status of the country remained the best document for a
country as heterogeneous as Nigeria.

He said it was the best practicable guide towards nationhood but
was abolished by the military by imposing a unitary system on the
country.

According to him, “The current exercise, therefore, must not toe
the path of the previous attempts at tokenism. The basic law of any
country must not be reduced to frivolities reflecting preferred
whimsies. It must not be oppressive of the minorities. Its
provisions must indeed give teeth to the primary purpose for which
the government exists. No provision of the law must not be
justiciable as Chapter Two of the current 1999 Constitution seeks
to impress on us.

“All the agitations of the peoples of this country must be
looked into with a view to improving the economic power of the
average citizens. The best way possible is to allow each region
flower in its areas of comparative advantage. The behemoth called
the Federal Government must shed the excess weight unduly
appropriated over time. It is the major cause of friction. It is
the reason for the politics of bitterness. It explains why everyone
wants the power at the centre. It promotes ethnic chauvinists and
encourages mediocrity.

“The new law must view, critically, the current misnomer which
sees the Federal Government appropriating humongous amounts for
moribund agencies whose duties overlap with those of the states.
The fiscal policy of the country must be restructured to encourage
ingenuity and uncommon resourcefulness. The Federal Government
should only coordinate and receive royalties. The current system is
not sustainable. All of us are beginning to appreciate this
fact.

“The current exercise will derive its legitimacy if taken to the
people for revalidation. Nothing must be taken for granted.
Everyone must be treated as an equal partner in this whole
enterprise of nation-building.”

“No patriotic citizen can deny the fact that the country faces
dire challenges at the moment which, in themselves, bear the
necessary ingredients for redefinition, determination, growth and
eventual development. The movement towards social integration must
be steady and focused.”

Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu on Wednesday, backed
the call for the country to return to the use of the 1963
Constitution.

Governor Akeredolu spoke while declaring open the Zonal Public
hearing of the review of the 1999 Constitution held at the Cultural
and International Event Centre, Akure.

Akeredolu stated that the powers of the federal government must
be trimmed down as it was the major of friction in the country and
politics of bitterness.

He warned that the current attempt at the Constitution amendment
should be taken beyond the usual jamboree conceived and executed to
arrive at predetermined result.

The Ondo Governor said the 1963 Constitution which reflected the
Republican status of the country remained the best document for a
country as heterogeneous as Nigeria.

He said it was the best practicable guide towards nationhood but
was abolished by the military by imposing a unitary system on the
country.

According to him, “The current exercise, therefore, must not toe
the path of the previous attempts at tokenism. The basic law of any
country must not be reduced to frivolities reflecting preferred
whimsies. It must not be oppressive of the minorities. Its
provisions must indeed give teeth to the primary purpose for which
the government exists. No provision of the law must not be
justiciable as Chapter Two of the current 1999 Constitution seeks
to impress on us.

“All the agitations of the peoples of this country must be
looked into with a view to improving the economic power of the
average citizens. The best way possible is to allow each region
flower in its areas of comparative advantage. The behemoth called
the Federal Government must shed the excess weight unduly
appropriated over time. It is the major cause of friction. It is
the reason for the politics of bitterness. It explains why everyone
wants the power at the centre. It promotes ethnic chauvinists and
encourages mediocrity.

“The new law must view, critically, the current misnomer which
sees the Federal Government appropriating humongous amounts for
moribund agencies whose duties overlap with those of the states.
The fiscal policy of the country must be restructured to encourage
ingenuity and uncommon resourcefulness. The Federal Government
should only coordinate and receive royalties. The current system is
not sustainable. All of us are beginning to appreciate this
fact.

“The current exercise will derive its legitimacy if taken to the
people for revalidation. Nothing must be taken for granted.
Everyone must be treated as an equal partner in this whole
enterprise of nation-building.”

“No patriotic citizen can deny the fact that the country faces
dire challenges at the moment which, in themselves, bear the
necessary ingredients for redefinition, determination, growth and
eventual development. The movement towards social integration must
be steady and focused.”