Constitutional reform imperative to reposition Nigeria – Moghalu

…tells Tinubu to act fast

Kingsley Moghalu, former presidential candidate of the Young Progressive Party (YPP) in the 2019 general election, has backed the recent call by The Patriots for a constitutional reform to move Nigeria forward.

Moghalu faulted President Bola Tinubu’s response to The Patriots’ demand, saying the Patriots’ position was imperative to reposition the country, urging Tinubu to act fast.

The Patriots, led by Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth secretary-general, last week met with Tinubu to advocate for a new constitution. While Tinubu received the delegation respectfully, he emphasised that economic reform was his current priority.

But Moghalu, a member of the Patriots group, in a statement via X on Monday, argued that economic transformation was important and linked to constitutional reform.

He said, “I respectfully disagree with President Bola Tinubu‘s response to the visit to him by The Patriots, led by former Commonwealth secretary-general, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, during which the group (of which I am a member) pressed for a new constitution for Nigeria as a matter of urgency, and recommended specific steps to achieve this.

“While President Tinubu received the eminent elder statesman and his colleagues with the appropriate dignity and protocols (“this is a group I cannot ignore”, Tinubu noted), the president asserted that economic reform (and the crisis that it has created in the country) is his priority right now, but that his government would, of course, study the recommendations of The Patriots and respond (hopefully with action and not merely words).”

He added that it would be almost impossible to bring a fundamental fix to Nigeria’s economy in the absence of a new constitution.

He stated, “What Nigeria’s leaders fail to understand is that it will be extremely difficult, if not impossible, to bring a fundamental fix to Nigeria’s economy in the absence of a new constitution that is anchored on real federalism, and preferably anchored on a regional structure of 6-12 regions.”

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The former deputy governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria emphasised the importance of nationhood for economic success, pointing out that Nigeria is a country but not yet a nation.

He said, “There is no unity of purpose, no cohering worldview. And this is because the country means different things to different groups.”

Moghalu warned of the potential consequences of delaying constitutional reform, citing historical examples.

“Nigeria as a pluralistic country that refuses to turn its plurality into a workable nationhood through an appropriate federal constitution, runs the risk of disintegration in the medium to long term,” he added.

According to him, drawing from his 2018 book “Build, Innovate and Grow (BIG),” Moghalu reiterated his concerns about Nigeria’s direction.

Moghalu urged President Tinubu to reconsider the importance of constitutional reform.

“I urge President Tinubu to take this matter with the seriousness it deserves. Nigeria today appears rudderless, with no particular direction.

“Our country has no purposeful destiny that we can say with conviction is our lodestar. Our citizens are increasingly unsure of what being a Nigerian means,” he stressed.