As Nigeria celebrates 64th Independence anniversary, a former National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Lai Olurode, yesterday, said the 1999 Constitution, as amended, remains an albatross to national development.

This was contained in an Independence anniversary message Olurode made available to The Guardian in Ibadan. The professor also said the constitution remained an obstacle to the realisation of the country’s full potential.

He said: “To me, Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, as amended, remains an albatross, an obstacle to the realisation of our full potential. It fosters a sense of dependency between the central government and the federating units. It makes the President look like a superman, who can accomplish all.

“The fate of a country of over 200 million rests with one individual, Mr President. The number of items in the exclusive list, which only the President can exercise power, is too large for an effective decision making process. Unfortunately, instead of a whole review and elite consensus building around an inevitable revisit of the 2014 constitutional conference, we embark on a frolic journey, indeed, a mission akin to reinventing the wheel.

“Nigeria, under the present constitutional framework isn’t working to meet the yearnings of the major and minority groups. Different agitations have persisted.

“At a second level, we cannot but be compelled to come to the conclusion that there are indeed limits to the role of individuals in social history. Individuals cannot travel far alone. No matter how strong they appear, they will sooner than later become overwhelmed by social forces. Individuals, no matter how powerful, need to be demystified as mere agents and not to be substituted for the social forces that they represent. We must desist from exaggerating their importance.

Speaking on the desirability of the State Independent Electoral Commission, Olurode said: “There’s no assurance that SIEC cannot experience a turnaround and become an effective agent of the state. The Nigerian government should desist from policies that can strengthen the grips of the centre on the state administrations. With the natural diversity of Nigeria, a strong Federal Government won’t serve Nigeria’s pluralism very well.”

According to him, diversity must be allowed to flourish under a truly federal constitution and reforms must take cognisance of complexities.

He also urged President Tinubu to build consensus around core areas of concerns to most Nigerians, saying: “Indeed, time is ticking fast. The second year anniversary of his administration is just a few months away. This regime should dust the 2014 Constitutional Conference report and elite consensus around its adoption as a major national issue. Nigeria needs to return fast to the path of strong and competitive regional government”.