Some legal experts have made a case for a constitution that will reflect the aspirations and realities of Nigerians.
At a lecture series held in honour of constitutional lawyer, Professor Ben Nwabueze in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, the experts insisted that the 1999 constitution suffers a legitimacy deficit with the history of being handed down by the military.
They noted that the proposed National Conference is an opportunity to ensure that the constitution has the input of Nigerians and that it is tailored to suit the Nigerian situation.
The guest lecturer, Director of Research, Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies (NIALS) Professor Dakas Dakas advocated for a constitution that will reflect the aspiration of Nigerians rather than the one handed down from the military, claiming that Nigerians sincerely need to be carried along in the designing of a constitution that suits their realities.
Speaking to Channels Television, he further said “we need to make sure that we focus more on constitutionalism because that is the ethos that underpins and drives the constitution, and for us to do so we need to make sure that the Nigerian people are keyed into the process, otherwise they will begin to see the constitution as something alien they cannot relate with.”
The Director-General of the Nigerian Institute of Advanced Legal Studies NIALS, Professor Epiphany Azinge, however advised that the elite need to desist from the selective observation of the rule of law which has become the case over time, making the constitution a dog that cannot bite.
The maiden edition of the Professor Ben Nwabuze Lecture Series brought together legal minds, and academics as well as the renowned constitutional lawyer himself, Professor Ben Nwabueze.
