Worried by the ugly state Nigeria has found its self under the watch of President Muhammadu Buhari, some concerned pro-democracy and human rights activists are currently making patriotic efforts to salvage the country from the brink of collapse.
They are hammering out a fresh People’s Constitution that is expected to be ready by December.
This is coming as Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Nigeria (CBCN) is ringing an alarm of an imminent collapse of Nigeria as a country.
The activists are however, working as members of the Constitution Drafting/Coordinating Committee of the People’s Constitutional Dialogue, initiated by the National Consultative Front (NCFront).
The group said on Tuesday, that a draft of the proposed people’s constitution will be ready by this coming December.
Among the front line members of NCFront are former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Ghali Na’aba, Prof. Pat Utomi, Olisa Agbakoba, Mike Ozekhome, Femi Falana, all SAN, Awolowo Dosumu, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, among others.
NC Front says it inaugurated the initiative to save and rescue Nigeria from the precipice, nationwide insecurity and ethnic/civil anarchy.
In a statement by Head of NC Front’s Public Affairs Bureau, Dr. Tanko Yunusa, in Abuja, leaders of the group explain that they launched People’s Constitution Dialogue to rescue Nigeria from the brink civil anarchy.
“The Constitution Drafting Committee and Coordinating Committee of the People’s Constitutional Dialogue initiated by Leaders of Conscience under the auspices of the National Consultative Front, to save and rescue Nigeria from the precipice and brink of nationwide insecurity and ethnic/civil anarchy was launched today in Nigeria
“The ceremony, which held both physically and virtually in the light of the second wave of COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the world, was flagged off by NC Front Co-Chairpersons, Na’aba and Utomi, who charged the Committee to work assiduously to make the Draft People’s Constitution of Nigeria available by December 2021”, the statement says.
In the mean time, CBCN says it is convinced that things happening lately in Nigeria suggests that the Buhari administration has failed to hold Nigeria together, thus paving the way for the rise of non state actors in self defence and protection.
CBCN President, Archbishop Augustine Akubueze, in a statement in Abuja, on Tuesday, said the very survival of Nigeria is at stake, stressing that the country is falling apart with reference to serious rising insecurity clearly evident in widespread loss of lives and property.
“The clamour for self-defence is fast gaining ground. Many ethnic champions are loudly beating the drums of war, calling not only for greater autonomy but even for outright opting out of a nation in which they have lost all trust and sense of belonging.
“The calls for secession on an ethnic basis from many quarters should not be ignored or taken lightly. Many have given up on the viability and even on the desirability of the Nigeria project as one united country. No wonder many non-state actors are filling the vacuum created by a palpable failure of government.
“The President can no longer delay rising to its obligation to govern the nation; not according to ethnic and religious biases but along the lines of objective and positive principles of fairness, equity and, above all, justice. We need to have the courage to admit that there’s a lot wrong with our nation.
“It’s our patriotic duty to point this out with all objectivity and sincerity. The rule of law has too often been disregarded, giving way to widespread impunity, leading to a progressive break down of good order. There’s a wide consensus that even the laws and rules we have made for ourselves are often the cause of our problems.
“No wonder there is an on-going clamour for constitution review, restructuring, decentralisation of the security agencies and calls for many changes to many things we have been taking for granted”, the Catholic bishops said.
They are suggesting that the Buhari administration should seek a common purpose with sincerity of mind.
“As individuals and as groups, we ought to be ready to make the necessary sacrifices that would enable us to manage our differences better and turn them into a positive rather than a negative force. Expectedly, governments at different levels ought to lead the way”, CBCN adds.
