Ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo has said that Nigeria’s challenges are less about the constitution and more about those entrusted with operating it.
Obasanjo, in a letter to the Chairman of the National Summit, Chief Emeka Anyaoku, said he is more concerned about those who operate the constitution than the need for a new one, emphasising good governance and citizens’ welfare.
In his letter read today at the ongoing National Summit on the Future of Nigeria’s Constitutional Democracy, taking place at the Transcorp Hilton, Abuja, Obasanjo emphasised that regardless of a constitution’s strengths or weaknesses, the key issue, in his view and experience, lies with those who operate it.
The former President said, “A nation’s Constitution as the fundamental law must reflect the history, the constituents and the aspirations of its people. It must be sacrosanct. From my experience in operating our Constitution, I will be the first to point out some areas of our Constitution that need amendment
“However, for me, no Constitution can ever be regarded as perfect. But whatever the strength or weakness of a Constitution, the most important issue to my own understanding and experience is the operators of the Constitution.”