Nigeria’s former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, has declared that the country’s challenges are not because of its constitution but from those entrusted with implementing it.
According to him, good governance and the well-being of citizens are being sacrificed by corrupt and self-serving leaders.
Naijaonpoint reports that Obasanjo made this assertion in a letter addressed to the Chairman of the National Summit, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, which was read on Wednesday at the ongoing National Summit on the Future of Nigeria’s Constitutional Democracy, held at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja.
The former president insisted that while no constitution is perfect and amendments are necessary, the real threat to Nigeria’s progress lies in the conduct of those in power.
“Whatever the strength or weakness of a Constitution, the most important issue to my own understanding and experience is the operators of the Constitution,” Obasanjo stated.
“Even the best Constitution can be abused and misused by those who operate it without a sense of decency, morality, or responsibility.”
He argued that the best-drafted constitution will remain ineffective if those in charge disregard its principles.
Obasanjo warned that unless there is a change in the mindset and conduct of the nation’s leaders, Nigeria’s challenges will persist, regardless of any constitutional reform.
“No matter what you do to the Nigerian Constitution, if the operators… remain unchanged and continue in the same manner, the welfare and well-being of Nigerians will continue to be sacrificed on the altar of selfishness, self-centredness, corruption, impunity, and total disregard of the Constitution,” he lamented.
He further decried what he described as a decade and a half of continuous leadership failure, which he believes has done lasting harm to the country’s democratic and social fabric.
The Operators Of The Constitution Matter
Obasanjo called for a national focus on getting the right people into leadership, asserting that they will naturally drive constitutional reforms that reflect the people’s aspirations.
He said: “At this crucial time, the operators matter more, and the searchlight should be on them. When we get the right operators, they will give us the amended or new Constitution close to what we need to make every Nigerian a proud stakeholder in the Project Nigeria.”
While acknowledging that certain amendments are needed, Obasanjo maintained that a Constitution must first and foremost reflect the values, history, and aspirations of the people it seeks to govern.
“A nation’s Constitution as the fundamental law must reflect the history, the constituents, and the aspirations of its people. It must be sacrosanct,” he noted.
Naijaonpoint reports that the summit, which gathered constitutional experts, political stakeholders, and civil society groups, aims to explore viable pathways to strengthening Nigeria’s constitutional democracy, but Obasanjo’s remarks suggest a deeper need to reform the leadership culture rather than the document alone.