…Falana laments the plundering of the nation’s resources by few
Nigerians have advocated for electoral and constitutional reforms before the next general election to ensure good governance in Nigeria, especially at the grassroots level.
They lamented the prevailing poverty among citizenry and socio-economy problems across the country, noting that the 1999 constitution could not guarantee good governance, solve the nation’s woes, guarantee accountable leadership and judicious utilisation of resources.
This was the views of participants at a webinar organised by African Leadership Group (ALG), with the topic: Redefining Nigeria.
The event was hosted by Ituah Ighodalo and had several prominent Nigerians in attendance, including Femi Falana, a prominent lawyer and human rights advocate, as a guest.
In speech, Falana lamented the prevailing state of the country, rising poverty among citizens despite the huge abundant resources the country was blessed with, while condemning the economic reforms of the Bola Tinubu’s administration for worsening the economic state of Nigerians.
He said that despite government claims, more Nigerians are now poor and can barely eat, even with the increase in minimum wage, lamenting that the wealth of the country has been plundered by a few elites against the overall interest.
“Our country has no business with poverty; what of the minerals which are found abundant in the country? The rich are given licenses to look for minerals, the government should take over the resources of the country, why should the local government not be able to pay salary?” Falana said.
The senior lawyer advised Nigerians to begin to hold leaders accountable not only at the federal level but also at the state level, noting that there was also the need to fight the monetisation of the electoral process by the political elite.
Funke Awolowo, a participant, said it is critical to identify what Nigerians want going forward, while the elites should try to connect with ordinary citizens and speak out about issues that border them.
Tony Nnadi, another participant, traced the genesis of the country to the current 1999 constitution, which according to him is unitary and could not solve the present socio-economic woes of the country if not changed.
“The cost of governance is high, people are concerned about food, electricity, everything. The current constitution is the bane of the country and we need to move away from it”, he said.
Adenike Grange, a professor, said that it was critical that citizens at the grassroots level affected by poverty and can barely survive be given a voice in any discussion of change and future of the country.
Akin Fapohun pointed out that the current process to amend the 1999 constitution was crucial towards saving the country going forward while calling for the 2027 general election to be put on hold for that process to be completed.
A similar view was shared by Oluyinka Oyeniji, who called for more engagement with the National Assembly members for a thorough amendment of the 1999 constitution, noting that the nation can’t go into the elections with the current constitution.
“Constitutional amendment started two years ago, it is inevitable, we can’t go into the 2027 election without it,” he said.
Join BusinessDay whatsapp Channel, to stay up to date
Open In Whatsapp
