A former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Emeka Anyaoku, has said that the economic, security and other challenges confronting Nigeria cannot be resolved under the present constitution and governance structure.
He stated this yesterday during an interview with journalists in his country home, Obosi village of Idemili North Local Government Area, Anambra State.
The elder statesman said poverty, insecurity, dilapidated infrastructure and other serious challenges had assumed a nationwide dimension.
He said the present constitution was a departure from the one the country’s founding fathers negotiated and agreed upon.
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“I am on record for saying that these challenges cannot be effectively addressed under the constitution and governance system we have at the moment.
“We cannot effectively address these challenges that have assumed nationwide dimension, especially insecurity which has pervaded the Northern part of the country and other communities,” Anyaoku said.
“The constitution for a pluralistic state as Nigeria; we have to return to those principles of the constitution as earlier agreed by our founding fathers.
“Until we do that, I am afraid that we cannot effectively deal with the challenges facing the nation,” he stated.
Speaking further, he said the sit-at-home order by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) was “doing great damage to the economy of the South East region.
“I do not support the idea. I think it is doing great damage to the economy.
“We have to deal with the root cause of the sit-at-home, which is the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu.
“Even though the court of law had ordered his release, that word gives those who advocate and participate in sit-at-home the reason for doing so.
“I think that the cause of the sit-at-home should be addressed. I do not think that the sit-at-home should be maintained, it should be stopped,” he said.
Nation building requires perseverance, patriotism–Tinubu
Meanwhile, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has said that nation building requires perseverance and patriotism to succeed.
He spoke yesterday in Doha, Qatar, while fielding questions from State House reporters after inspecting the National Museum of Qatar, built around Sheikh Abdullah bin Jassim Al-Thani’s original palace.
The president kick-started his two-day official visit to Qatar with the visit to the museum.
He stated: “It is great to document culture from the beginning of history, the culture of civilization, collaborations, challenges and perseverance of leadership.”
On replicating same in Nigeria, the president said: “We still have a long way to go.
“I am glad I am here. It is a great honour, you learn everyday of your life,” he said.
He noted that since the beginning of nations, nationalism and patriotism had remained major ingredients for tackling various challenges.
“Along the way, you learn as you go on,” the president added.
