1999 Constitution stalls good governance, says Attah
To ensure the inclusiveness of the inputs of Nigerians, the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review has concluded arrangements to meet with the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) and other stakeholders.

This was as former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Victor Attah, insisted that the 1999 Constitution (as amended) remained the biggest drawback to good governance, accountability, inclusiveness, productivity and development of the country.

The lawmakers are billed to also meet with the Nigeria Guild of Editors (NGE), Conference of Speakers of State Legislature (CSSL), chairmen of the 18 political parties, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs), among others, as part of activities for the review.

The Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Committee, Benjamin Kalu, during a committee session in Abuja, said the House would be holding an international legislative dialogue on women on October 28 and zonal public hearings in January.

According to Kalu, the committee is on track to deliver a new Constitution to Nigerians by December 2025, noting that the essence of the engagements is to get the input of various stakeholders and brief them on what the committee is doing.

He said the committee, in carrying out most of its assignments, would be broken down into sub-committees, which would not be exhaustive, as more members would be included to carry everyone along.

The sub-committees according to thematic areas include Local Government Matters, Judiciary, Electoral Matters, Security Architecture, Gender Issues, Devolution of Powers and Other Special Matters.

Kalu, thereafter assured that clear actionable recommendations from the women’s summit to be held next week would be taken forward in the constitutional alteration exercise.

ATTAH, who chaired the 2024 National Conference of the Forum of Former Deputy Governors of Nigeria (FFDGN), yesterday, in Abuja, maintained that the 1999 Constitution, which was an “installation by the military regime, of a command structure” defied Nigeria’s federalism installed in 1954.

He faulted the 2023 record of proceedings of the FFDGN National Conference, which described the 1999 Constitution as a good document that can lead our country to the expected El Dorado.

“Those of you, who have listened to some of my television interviews or read some of my published articles, will know that I completely disagree with the statement,” he noted.

Charging participants drawn from across the country, irrespective of political affiliation, to provide the country with the solution to bind the country into a thriving nation, Attah noted that the theme of the conference and the five sub-themes clearly indicated that the participants were aware of the situation in this country.

Former governor of Ogun, Segun Osoba, supported Attah’s position on the 1999 Constitution as amended.

Recalling how he, alongside Attah, traded tackles with former President Olusegun Obasanjo on issues relating to governance at the local council level, Osoba stressed the need for food sufficiency in the country.

He said the United States of America is regarded as the greatest country in the world because of food sufficiency in the country.