Olanipekun: Nigeria’s constitution, unrealistic, deceptive

Former President, Nigeria Bar Association, Chief Wole Olanipekun, SAN, on Wednesday described the country’s Constitution as unrealistic, deceptive and lacking the power to guarantee the security of lives and property.

 

 

Olanipekun, who also declared that the country’s Constitution could not be amended saying the National Assembly had complicated the issue, with its attempt to amend a law that has no origin nor an author.

 

 

Delivering the 13th Convocation Lecture of The Redeemer’s University, Ede, Osun State on the topic: ‘Beyond the pandemic: Creating an evolving new normal,’ the legal icon said every functioning nation would have a masterplan ingrained in its Constitution.

 

 

He, however, said the present Constitution that was virtually landing the country in a conundrum in essence, and content, does not represent any honest, genuine, and sincere law.

 

 

He added that the present constitutional architecture has conspired and aggregated all security outfits in the Federal Government and would not allow any tier of government to perform its basic responsibility of protection of life and property to the citizens.

 

 

He said, “How do we or can we reasonably expect a centrally or federally controlled Police Force from Abuja to secure the security of the country, either substantially or in all ramifications?

 

 

“This is impossible; and the honest deduction from this provision alone is that the Constitution is unrealistic, deceptive and pretentious. The present constitutional architecture which has conspired and aggregated all security outfits in the Federal Government cannot, by any stretch of imagination, allow any government, whether at the federal or state level, to perform its basic responsibility to the citizenry, that is, protection of life and property.

 

 

“I am not aware of any federal constitution in the world that forbids any state, community or a group of people in any particular location from having their own security outfits, particularly police formations, as the 1999 Constitution forbids such a desirable and inalienable right through its section 214 (1),” he added.

 

 

He advised that the present federal structure should be unbundled or dismantled, stressing that Nigeria’s multi-faceted diversities and peculiarities must be provided for.

 

 

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