What manner of a constitution review?

You may be excused for thinking that the retort of the Northern Elders Forum (NEF) to the Senate’s call for memoranda on the review of the 1999 constitution was just another opportunity for these local worthies to blow hot air.

The Senate Ad-hoc committee had issued a circular last month calling on the general public to submit memoranda on various issues currently agitating the polity with a view to making changes in the constitution. Hot on the heels of this announcement came the response of the NEF asking Nigerians to ignore this round of another constitution review which has resurfaced ‘at this difficult time when the economy is facing unprecedented challenges’.

I am one of those who would have waved this protestation aside as an undue challenge, but when one looks at the reasons the NEF advanced, one would have to have a rethink. The NEF reasons that so much of the country’s resources have been expended in the quest to review the 1999 constitution since it came into being and so far there is nothing to show for these grand efforts. They believe that the deficiencies and constraints in our constitution cannot be ‘achieved by a process that routinises wasteful expenditures around false hopes.

The NEF said that a constitution that will be embraced by all can only be attained by a holistic and genuine effort and partnership with a Nigerian Peoples Conference of sorts involving leaders of thoughts, elders, professional organisations and representatives of governments freely discussing every element of our co-existence. In any case the NEF pointed out, the same efforts carried out in the past by various governments have left behind large quantities of recommendations and reports, large enough reservoir to be tapped if the legislature is serious about this national priority. The NEF then advised the National Assembly to instead direct its energy to more urgent matters such as convincing President Muhammadu Buhari to end the insurgency in the North east and killings in most parts of the North central and North west and other parts of Nigeria.

Now, you can’t fault this flow of reasoning. And as expected, there has been a great deal of support from other regional groups that have been in the fray pursuing one review or the other in the constitution. The support given to the stance of the NEF by each group was however given with their own caveat, advancing one local grievance or the other. Be that as it may, one would advise our regional groups to sheath their swords. There is no need splitting hairs over what is one of the most considered functions of the National Assembly – enacting laws for the overall good of the country. That is what we have collectively elected them to do. And if the National Assembly thinks that a wholesale review of the constitution is a necessary step to good governance, so be it.

And as one looks at the areas of the suggested review – federal structure, local government autonomy, police and security architecture, judicial reforms, state creation, and several others –  it is obvious that these are all burning issues that need tinkering. But the fear of many is that all these issues have been left to burn for so long and taking all at the same time would be cumbersome and, at worse, might consume all the time left in the life of the National Assembly. The way out might be to take those issues that are really immediate and can easily generate agreement by the majority in the country.

Items such as local government autonomy, police and security architecture and judicial reforms look good as low hanging fruits. I recommend them to the leadership of the National Assembly for starters.

BAGA IDP RESETTLEMENT COMMITTEE

There is good news coming out from Borno State lately. A few days ago, Governor Babagana Zulum inaugurated a high-powered committee for the returning of IDPs to Baga starting from 26th September. This is a courageous move that should be applauded. The loss of Baga to the insurgents was a great humanitarian disaster and dealt a heavy blow to commercial activities in the state. After Maiduguri, Baga is arguably the next important commercial centre in Borno State, whose unique dry fish is appreciated across the country and even beyond. And for decades, it had been a centre for large scale potash trade across the whole West African region. That’s why its loss to these bandits was such a tragedy.

It is also encouraging to note that it is Kaka Shehu Lawan, a ranking member of the executive council, with wide contacts within the security outfits, that will lead the resettlement effort. A dependable ally of the former Governor Kashim Shettima, Kaka Shehu, has proved that Governor Zulum can rely on him to deliver on sensitive assignments. One would suggest to the committee to engage the locals in the defence of their towns as the same Kaka Shehu and his team once did for Maiduguri when it was besieged by the insurgents. The locals know their environment and their involvement in Joint Task Forces with the security outfits is the best antidote to the nefarious influence of these bandits.