HUMAN rights lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Prof. Mike Ozekhome, Monday listed what president Bola Ahmed Tinubu should do to return Nigeria on the path of progress again.
Speaking at Abiola’s residence, Ozekhome who is also one of the leading counsels of Peter Obi at the Presidential Election Tribunal, tasked Tinubu on good governance.
According to Ozekhome, “What this present government led by President Bola Tinubu should borrow from June 12 lesson, is good governance of peoples’ policy and not anti-peoples that will further impoverished the already beleaguered people, who are already prostrate on their bellies.
“Policies that will make life better for the people. But, most importantly, Tinubu must listen to this, even if it is few things he can do. He must take steps to give Nigerians, peoples’ constitution, peoples driven constitution made by the people themselves, subjected to referendum,
“You cannot amend the present constitution which has a schedule actually attached to Decree 24 of 1999. It’s a militarily imposed constitution. No amount of amendment can cure it of its original sins made by the military and not by Nigeria people.
“Even the preamble that says we the peoples of Nigeria do hereby gives to ourselves the following constitutions tells a lie about itself.
“Therefore, Tinubu must take deliberate steps, to ensure that the constitution drafting committee, through a constituent assembly of the people is established and the product that will emerge from it will give Nigeria true federal system, not the present unitary system where the Federal government controls 67 items up to how you conduct your marriage through the marriage act.
“Until he (Tinubu) makes a peoples constitution subjected to referendum which will enjoy peoples’ legitimacy as was done in Iraq, Iran, Eritrea, South Africa, Egypt, Tunisia, Kenya, until he takes that deliberate steps Nigeria will continue to suffer of perpetual motion on its axis without progress.
“Because Nigeria do not believe in the present constitution and arrangement where there are some fetchers of woods and drawers of water. And there are some anointed sacred cows that must have their appetite satiated by the beleaguered segment of the society.
“For us to have a society that is truly great, we must do what Abiola told us. He said, “I always hear people talk about peace, it’s not every peace that we are looking for. There is what we call peace of the grave yard, peace of the cemetery. The cemetery is the most peaceful place on earth. But that is not the peace we are looking for, we are looking for peace that is imbued with egalitarianism, social justice and equity, good conscience, mutual respect, religious tolerance in our pluralistic society. That is the only thing that can give us peace so that we do not peace of the graveyard or cemetery,” Those were the words of Abiola over 30 years ago and are still relevant today as they were.”
