The Bishop of Diocese of Calabar, Anglican Communion, Rt Rev Nneoyi Egbe, has joined other eminent leaders of thought, including elder statesmen and former governors in the call for the complete abolishment of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, citing its lack of legitimacy and inability to address the country’s challenges.

He made the call during a press conference to mark the 2nd Session of the 12th Synod of the Diocese in Calabar, on Wednesday.

He said that as a nation, “we need to destroy what we currently call our constitution and get a proper, national, and true one, dropping the surreptitious preference for one religion or tribe over the others in the country. This has had an untold negative impact on our national security; every Nigerian should be treated the same way, with no turning a blind eye to some while others enjoy state protection.

“As a nation, we need to reinvent our national value system and kill the so-called Nigerian factor, the ‘get rich quick and at all costs’ syndrome, and entrench true federalism, where federating units control their resources and make contributions to the centre. We will not stop calling for this until it becomes a reality.

“We must speak and promote the truth individually and in all circles, irrespective of whose horse is gored, stop lying to ourselves, overhaul our judiciary system on the same lines of truth and justice, and restore justice to the land as the first major step towards recovering Nigeria.

“For our dear nation to go well, we must drop this faceless type of democracy and adopt a system of governance that is less burdensome, costly, and offers less opportunity for the unproductive shenanigans among politicians, and make our electoral body truly independent.

“The INEC chairman should not be a political appointee but perhaps emerge from a college to be made of religious and traditional leaders from across the nation. Whatever it is, he must not be appointed by the government of the day.”

The bishop said the nation must downplay ethnicism and nepotism, promote nationalism and patriotism by emphasising residence rather than place of origin.

Bishop Egbe further called for the strengthening and tightening of the nation’s borders to allow only people with the required mentality and a progressively productive culture to enter the country, as it is claimed that many of the terror attacks are carried out by non-Nigerians.

The Anglican bishop commended Governor Bassey Otu for his efforts in driving strategic infrastructural development across the three senatorial districts of the state, improving security, upscaling agriculture, enhancing internally generated revenue, and securing the support of AfDB for the health and agricultural sectors, among other areas.

On the state of the nation, he described Nigeria as a dead nation as leaders are still pushing the nation and her people to their total burial.

The cleric lamented that “the laws of the land are no longer working, the leadership is on inoculation against reality, institutions are dead because the establishing laws have been jettisoned, people have pocketed government and institutions; there is no food for the common Nigerian, who equally cannot move about freely and easily anymore.

“The outlook is bleaker than imagined. There is no sector of our national life that has not been taken over by this scourge of death. A couple of years ago, we pointed out that we were living a lie as a nation; today, we reiterate this fact

“We as a church are still praying and still believe that the resurrection and life, even our lord Jesus Christ, can and will give life back to us as a nation.”