Nigeria Doesn’t Need A New Constitution — Ustaz Usman, SAN

Kaduna based Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ustaz Yunus Usman
has said that Nigeria doesn’t need a new Constitution, but a
continuous amendment of the existing Constitution, citing American
Constitution that has been in use for more than 200 years without
being replaced, but amended.

Usman said whatever Nigerians are agitating for before the
Constitution review committee should be inserted into the existing
Constitution and give it an amendment.

The SAN who represented INEC at the legal battle over the last
presidential election dispute between President Muhammadu Buhari
and Atiku Abubakar told newsmen in an interview at the weekend on
the state of the nation that President Buhari’s achievements in the
last six years in office were overshadowed by insecurity issues as
well as insincerity on the part of the State governors to cooperate
with the President to achieve much for the country.

“We don’t need a new Constitution. All over the world if you
have a Constitution, you only need to amend it. You can bring in
whatever you want to add or subtract, it is still called amendment.
If you continue to throw away this one today, bring in another one
tomorrow, when will it end. American Constitution about 200 years
old, they have never thrown away their Constitution, it is always
amendment. Most of the things Nigerians are agitating for can be
amended in our Constitution.

“But sincerely speaking, whether we like it or not, President
Buhari, in particular, has impressed me. Before Buhari became
President, we were selling oil at $165 or thereabout per barrel,
but when he assumed office the price dropped to $30 per barrel. If
I were Buhari I would have resigned, honestly. I think we should
praise him for managing the oil price instead of blanket
condemnation of him.

“Buhari is trying, whether we like it or not. What is covering
President Buhari’s achievements is the insincerity and behaviour of
our governors. Whatever the governors ought to do, Nigerians will
say it is Buhari that has failed to do. Take for instance; the
issue of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) strike. It is
only Federal government, Rivers, Lagos, and Edo States that have
been paying directly. Others refuse to pay. The Federal government
has been paying, but everybody is blaming Buhari. What we ought to
blame the governors, we are blaming the federal government.

“People are blaming Buhari over the independent of the State
legislators and the local government. These are State matters. Not
Buhari matter. Now, quote me anywhere; there is no local government
system in Nigeria, whether we like it or not. And that is the
closest arm of government to the people at the grassroots. They are
no longer there.

“Buhari’s achievements have been enclaved by the insincerity of
the governors. There are only four States that you can see
developments to some extent. I think Nigeria should be collapsed
into six States of the geopolitical zones so that they can pay
salaries. But the irony of it is that people are still asking for
new more States. I think we are not sincere.

“Buhari is the stabilising force of this country. Most of the
governors you see today are elected because of Buhari. If Buhari
was not elected, they wouldn’t have been elected. So they should
know that in 2023 they are on their own. If our governors continue
to behave the way they are behaving, the future is bleak, if IPOB
are killing the way they are killing, the future is bleak, if
people are being kidnapped and killed, the future is still bleak.
We must go back to God and beg for forgiveness.

“Critically speaking, I think Buhari has been doing the best he
can. If you look at the circumstances when Buhari came to power,
you need to pity him. Like I said I don’t have any governor as a
friend, I don’t have any governor as an enemy, I don’t have any
governor as a brother, I don’t have any governor as an in-law. If
the governors have tried the way Buhari has tried, we wouldn’t have
been in this predicament.

“Look at the palliatives given to the State governments during
the lockdown to be shared to the people, they were left to be
rotten without giving to the people. Yet some people are blaming
Buhari. The federal allocation to the State governments are being
paid, the one to the Statehouse of Assembly and local government
area being paid. It is the governors that collect all these
payments. What do they do with the money?”. Usman said

The senior lawyer poured his anger on the State governors,
saying, “If this country have not achieved anything, hold the
governors responsible. If anything happens to this country hold the
governors accountable. Quote me anywhere, governors are not helping
matters at all. I am not happy.

“Come to think of it, in most of the States, infrastructural
development is not there, human capital development is not there.
So what do they do with the security votes. Insecurity are still
there in the States. When there is insecurity in the States They
call upon the federal government to save the situation. They could
not pay salaries, it was federal government that was paying. What
do they do with all these monies. If Nigeria fails, it is the
governors and them alone that must be held responsible”.

The SAN also spoke about Democracy Day, “Anybody who says
Nigeria has not achieved anything, he is not sincere with himself.
Of course, developmental-wise, you cannot say that Nigeria has not
progressed. At least, there is total absence of military incursion
into politics now. To me, that is an achievement. And we pray that
the military will not come again.

“As I have always told people, the worst civilian government is
better than the best military government anywhere in the world. We
have passed that stage. It is an achievement.

“People are saying that Nigeria is a failed state, no, Nigeria
cannot be a failed State. I did international law; and I want to
tell you that one of the essences of a failed State is that you
don’t have your own Army, Air force, Navy, and so on. But Nigeria
have all these things. And Nigeria is in control of them. Agreed,
there are problems here and there, but it is not that Nigeria is a
failed State. It is not a failed State at all”.

On why insecurity persists in the country, Usman noted that,
“God is angry with Nigeria because cultists are eating human parts
as pepper soup, God is angry with Nigeria because one man carries
money meant for the people and invest in a foreign land. Such a
person is developing Europe. God is angry because men are raping
3-month old baby. And once God is angry, no leader can take
control.

“We should gather Christians and Muslims to fast and pray for
seven days. We must, first of all, go back to God for
forgiveness.

“Those causing insecurity are not ghosts, they are living with
the people. If government threatens the village head, community
leader, DPO, and say, look, if this insecurity continues, you will
be removed, believe me, this thing will stop. Anybody who tells me
that they don’t know who these people are, he is telling lies.

“We must be sincere to fight this insecurity. The local people
can fight these criminals. We should not leave it to the government
alone. We must also bring the sponsors of these criminals to book
no matter how highly placed in the society. We cannot divide this
country. Nigeria cannot afford another civil war. It will not be
able to withstand it at all”.

Kaduna based Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ustaz Yunus Usman
has said that Nigeria doesn’t need a new Constitution, but a
continuous amendment of the existing Constitution, citing American
Constitution that has been in use for more than 200 years without
being replaced, but amended.

Usman said whatever Nigerians are agitating for before the
Constitution review committee should be inserted into the existing
Constitution and give it an amendment.

The SAN who represented INEC at the legal battle over the last
presidential election dispute between President Muhammadu Buhari
and Atiku Abubakar told newsmen in an interview at the weekend on
the state of the nation that President Buhari’s achievements in the
last six years in office were overshadowed by insecurity issues as
well as insincerity on the part of the State governors to cooperate
with the President to achieve much for the country.

“We don’t need a new Constitution. All over the world if you
have a Constitution, you only need to amend it. You can bring in
whatever you want to add or subtract, it is still called amendment.
If you continue to throw away this one today, bring in another one
tomorrow, when will it end. American Constitution about 200 years
old, they have never thrown away their Constitution, it is always
amendment. Most of the things Nigerians are agitating for can be
amended in our Constitution.

“But sincerely speaking, whether we like it or not, President
Buhari, in particular, has impressed me. Before Buhari became
President, we were selling oil at $165 or thereabout per barrel,
but when he assumed office the price dropped to $30 per barrel. If
I were Buhari I would have resigned, honestly. I think we should
praise him for managing the oil price instead of blanket
condemnation of him.

“Buhari is trying, whether we like it or not. What is covering
President Buhari’s achievements is the insincerity and behaviour of
our governors. Whatever the governors ought to do, Nigerians will
say it is Buhari that has failed to do. Take for instance; the
issue of the Judicial Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) strike. It is
only Federal government, Rivers, Lagos, and Edo States that have
been paying directly. Others refuse to pay. The Federal government
has been paying, but everybody is blaming Buhari. What we ought to
blame the governors, we are blaming the federal government.

“People are blaming Buhari over the independent of the State
legislators and the local government. These are State matters. Not
Buhari matter. Now, quote me anywhere; there is no local government
system in Nigeria, whether we like it or not. And that is the
closest arm of government to the people at the grassroots. They are
no longer there.

“Buhari’s achievements have been enclaved by the insincerity of
the governors. There are only four States that you can see
developments to some extent. I think Nigeria should be collapsed
into six States of the geopolitical zones so that they can pay
salaries. But the irony of it is that people are still asking for
new more States. I think we are not sincere.

“Buhari is the stabilising force of this country. Most of the
governors you see today are elected because of Buhari. If Buhari
was not elected, they wouldn’t have been elected. So they should
know that in 2023 they are on their own. If our governors continue
to behave the way they are behaving, the future is bleak, if IPOB
are killing the way they are killing, the future is bleak, if
people are being kidnapped and killed, the future is still bleak.
We must go back to God and beg for forgiveness.

“Critically speaking, I think Buhari has been doing the best he
can. If you look at the circumstances when Buhari came to power,
you need to pity him. Like I said I don’t have any governor as a
friend, I don’t have any governor as an enemy, I don’t have any
governor as a brother, I don’t have any governor as an in-law. If
the governors have tried the way Buhari has tried, we wouldn’t have
been in this predicament.

“Look at the palliatives given to the State governments during
the lockdown to be shared to the people, they were left to be
rotten without giving to the people. Yet some people are blaming
Buhari. The federal allocation to the State governments are being
paid, the one to the Statehouse of Assembly and local government
area being paid. It is the governors that collect all these
payments. What do they do with the money?”. Usman said

The senior lawyer poured his anger on the State governors,
saying, “If this country have not achieved anything, hold the
governors responsible. If anything happens to this country hold the
governors accountable. Quote me anywhere, governors are not helping
matters at all. I am not happy.

“Come to think of it, in most of the States, infrastructural
development is not there, human capital development is not there.
So what do they do with the security votes. Insecurity are still
there in the States. When there is insecurity in the States They
call upon the federal government to save the situation. They could
not pay salaries, it was federal government that was paying. What
do they do with all these monies. If Nigeria fails, it is the
governors and them alone that must be held responsible”.

The SAN also spoke about Democracy Day, “Anybody who says
Nigeria has not achieved anything, he is not sincere with himself.
Of course, developmental-wise, you cannot say that Nigeria has not
progressed. At least, there is total absence of military incursion
into politics now. To me, that is an achievement. And we pray that
the military will not come again.

“As I have always told people, the worst civilian government is
better than the best military government anywhere in the world. We
have passed that stage. It is an achievement.

“People are saying that Nigeria is a failed state, no, Nigeria
cannot be a failed State. I did international law; and I want to
tell you that one of the essences of a failed State is that you
don’t have your own Army, Air force, Navy, and so on. But Nigeria
have all these things. And Nigeria is in control of them. Agreed,
there are problems here and there, but it is not that Nigeria is a
failed State. It is not a failed State at all”.

On why insecurity persists in the country, Usman noted that,
“God is angry with Nigeria because cultists are eating human parts
as pepper soup, God is angry with Nigeria because one man carries
money meant for the people and invest in a foreign land. Such a
person is developing Europe. God is angry because men are raping
3-month old baby. And once God is angry, no leader can take
control.

“We should gather Christians and Muslims to fast and pray for
seven days. We must, first of all, go back to God for
forgiveness.

“Those causing insecurity are not ghosts, they are living with
the people. If government threatens the village head, community
leader, DPO, and say, look, if this insecurity continues, you will
be removed, believe me, this thing will stop. Anybody who tells me
that they don’t know who these people are, he is telling lies.

“We must be sincere to fight this insecurity. The local people
can fight these criminals. We should not leave it to the government
alone. We must also bring the sponsors of these criminals to book
no matter how highly placed in the society. We cannot divide this
country. Nigeria cannot afford another civil war. It will not be
able to withstand it at all”.