Nigeria’s former Minister of Housing and urban development and Former House of Representative Member, Nduese Essien, has called on President Bola Tinubu, the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, Speaker of the House of Representatives and speakers of state Houses of Assembly to heed the call for constitutional reform and restructuring. 

He made this known in a press briefing to round up a week-long activity marking his 80th birthday celebration in Eket, Akwa Ibom State, tagged, ‘State of the nation address.’

Essien noted that forming a government of national unity to chart a new course for Nigeria is the way out of myriads of problems bedeviling it.
He also said that the flawed leadership recruitment system, endemic corruption, insecurity, impunity, nepotism, and bad governance have cast a shadow over the future of Nigeria, while underlying socio-economic factors that fuel extremism and criminality should be addressed.

He decried the worsening corruption in the country, saying that by 2023, Nigeria stood at 145 out of 180, reflecting the deteriorating level of corruption in the country. 

Essien stressed that embracing true federalism, whether based on the six geopolitical zones or the current state structure, as well as empowering states and regions to take charge of their own destinies is the remedy.