Since 2011, when former President Goodluck Jonathan signed two amendments to the 1999 Constitution into law, efforts to further amend the Constitution have largely been unsuccessful. Successive governments have tried and failed, and the ongoing amendment process has dragged on for years, with little progress in sight.
Nigerians continue to criticise the existing Constitution, with many arguing that it fails to meet the aspirations of the people. Others point out that it was imposed through military fiat, not developed through democratic means. This raises the question: why can’t the Constitution be amended to reflect the needs of citizens, or better yet, why not create a new, people-oriented Constitution?
What we often see are individuals hiding behind the perceived shortcomings of the 1999 Constitution to confuse or deceive the public. Controversial court rulings are often based on the same Constitution, while political maneuvering is blamed on it as well. At least, unlike the colonial Constitution, the blame for our current state cannot be shifted to the Europeans.
So what exactly are the duties of the National Assembly and the State Houses of Assembly? Why have they failed to amend the 1999 Constitution to better align with the needs and expectations of Nigerians? Are they only concerned with flaunting their wealth and status? This was certainly not the intention of the Nigerians who fought for the current democracy.
We’ve lost count of the stage the protracted constitutional amendment process has reached. And why wouldn’t Nigerians be frustrated? No one knows when the country will finally adopt a new or thoroughly amended Constitution. The entire process feels endless, much like the prolonged turnaround maintenance of our refineries.
No matter what happens, the only message Nigerians want to hear and accept is that the 1999 Constitution has been successfully amended and that the expectations of the people have been incorporated into this critical document. Anything less will not be tolerated. If you ask Nigerians, they will demand nothing less than a speedy conclusion to the amendment process.
The 2023 general elections introduced the BVAS system alongside the PVC. However, after the elections, politicians challenged the legitimacy of the BVAS, and courts ruled that its use was not in line with the Constitution. This highlights the numerous loopholes that politicians can exploit, often leaving Nigerians to suffer. Can these loopholes be closed, or are they part of a deliberate conspiracy to undermine the people?
Many smaller countries we often look down on have moved ahead of us because they’ve managed to amend or adapt their constitutions to suit their needs. So why can’t Nigeria do the same? If we cannot do better, at least we should be able to do what others have done. There is nothing stopping us from getting it right from this moment. All it takes is commitment, determination, and perhaps a sense of patriotism.
After all, it’s never too late to get things right. As the saying goes, when a man wakes up, it’s his morning. And it’s better late than never.