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We the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, having firmly and solemnly resolve, to live in unity and harmony as one indivisible and indissoluble sovereign nation under God, dedicated to the promotion of inter-African solidarity, world peace, international co-operation and understanding, and to provide for a Constitution for the purpose of promoting the good government and welfare of all persons in our country, on the principles of freedom, equality and justice, and for the purpose of consolidating the unity of our people;
Do hereby make, enact and give to ourselves the following Constitution:-
One of the most controversial statements in the history of mankind and one of the most imposed statement in the history of Nigeria is the statement above. We the people of Nigeria have become laughing stock to ourselves as we daily wake up to the reality of a statement we never inferred or implied nationally.
It was a common practice in certain parts of Nigeria some years ago and even now to make a young woman marry an elderly man for the sake of money and safety. I have heard of instances where the woman did not know she was been married off; but only realized that her bride price has been paid off by someone she never knew; nor love.
The drama that was rehearsed sometime between 1998-1999 in Nigeria; has been playing itself (almost in an autopilot) as a form of governance in Nigeria. What we call the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, which is expected to be the expression of the will, commitment and passion of Nigerians across culture, occupation, religion and region was prepared and written by a very few Nigerians who were not representatives of Nigerians; nor were they sent by Nigerians. Yet, these people had the sole courage to say, “We the people of Nigeria….”. May God heal our land! Talking about God, let me quickly replay a certain section of the Bible, which is ground norm for many national constitutions across the world today.
The Bible is composed of two sections: The Old Testament (which you could call commandment or constitution) and The New Testament. If you have had the opportunity of reading any part of the Bible; you would realize that during the Old Testament era; the people were judged, governed and reigned over by God according to the letters and the spirit of the Old Testament (constitution). In short, people lived and died by the laws and statutes of the constitution.
However, when the circumstances of the people refuse to get better; when the people were not fully enabled, equipped, empowered and deployed by the Old Testament (constitution); God decided (not to amend, but) to replace the Testament (constitution) completely. The question that came to my own heart is, “Why did God replace the constitution that He convened the body of people that prepared it?” If God were to be a Nigerian politician, who gave the directives that led to the preparation of a constitution; would He have decided to lead another set of people to replace the same constitution? That is a food for your thought! But my concern is this; the few people that prepared the 1999 constitution, which has been amended more than the 1787 constitution of the United States of America; are no more active in “politics”; hence, they should not become more loyal to the document than the authors of it.
God chaired the writing of the Old Testament of the Bible; yet, He choose to replace it with a New Testament (constitution). Are the Politicians in Nigeria wiser than God?
For on the one hand there is an annulling of the former commandment (constitution) because of its weakness and unprofitableness. For the law made nothing perfect; on the other hand, there is the bringing in of a better hope (constitution), through which we draw near to God. – Hebrews 7:18-19
That is it! Weak and unprofitable constitution should not be amended (edited) as we have done through the years; but must be replaced – United States of America followed the right steps in enacting their own constitution, and they have stayed true to it for 229 years; until we retrace our steps in Nigeria; we might end up moving round in circles without meaning or visible progress.
The National Lawmakers should not become used to amending the constitution of the country; they should be preoccupied with making contemporary laws that will shape our technological advancements; economic growth, military development and educational improvements. The Lawmakers should be more concerned with making laws; while the people should be coordinated by the constitution of their own. I rest my case for now!
