Stakeholders in the legal system, have called for reorientation of Nigerians beyond ethnic bearing, to work for national unity and cohesion to engender peace and progress.
This is contained in a communiqué issued on Friday in Enugu, after the end of African Heritage Institution (AfriHeritage) Big Ideas Podium conference.
The conference, which was held on Aug. 12, in Enugu, was themed: “Reworking the Nigerian Constitution for National Transformation and Integration”.
The communiqué was signed by the Executive Director of AfriHeritage, Prof. Ufo Okeke-Uzodike; the National President, Association for Good Governance in Nigeria, Mr Justice Uhuegbu and Co-Founder of LegalHub Partnership, Mr Adeyemi Ajilo.
According to the communiqué, there is need to reestablish value systems, that are inclusionary and developmental, which tolerate cultural differences and support principles of honesty, integrity and justice.
It also said that no matter how well crafted , the Nigerian constitution would remain unworkable without full respect for the rule of law.
It noted that citizens should be given a chance to feed into and strengthen the constitution, to deepen the importance of consent and the agency of citizenship.
“A dire need exists for full decentralisation of powers between the constituent States and the Federal Government. (The concentration of power at the centre belies Nigeria’s status as a Federal republic and renders positive transformation impossible.)
“Nigeria should be governed fully, based on respect for the principles of separation of powers. The three arms of government must be independent of each other in real terms,” it said.
It said that the “constitution is a supreme document and should not be violated”, adding that the current Nigerian constitution, needed constructive reworking or true amendment due to some imbalances.
(NAN)
