Why Ndigbo agree with Northern Elders Forum on Constitution-Ukoh

The founder of Igbo Youth Forum (IYM)/Secretary, Eastern Consultative Assembly (ECA) Elliot Ugochukwu Ukoh, has explained that his group agrees with the Northern Elders Forum, that a gathering of committed Patriots is needed at this time, to begin the needful process of drawing up and designing a new people’s constitution that will replace the military constitution of 1999.

According to him, such a people’s constituent assembly is actually long overdue; adding that events in the country confirm our constitution needs a revamp and an overhaul, not piecemeal amendments.

He said the needed intervention is clear from the” decade-old insurgency in the Northeast, that not only won’t go away, but is gradually spreading to other regions as well, secession agitation in the east, that is so deep-rooted, yet grossly misunderstood and mishandled, violence and banditry, the kind never experienced before and certainly not experienced by any nation in history.

“Economic problems that have defied solution, unemployment and hunger reigning all over the land. Mistrust and suspicion that has sadly raised regional, ethnic and religious fault lines to frightening levels. Loss of faith, anger, poverty and fear for tomorrow, that turned millions of marooned compatriots into gambling and pool betting as the only means of solace and keeping hope alive. Sad.

”In spite of all these dangerous signals, even as oil prices slide down, we regrettably choose to pretend that piecemeal amendment of the contentious 1999 constitution remains better option to a wholesome re-engineering of our union, genuinely addressing our fears and granting every region a sense of belonging that would engender faith and trust in the fatherland, through a new people’s constitution.

”The termites that are eating up the foundation of our union are busy at work weakening our union, while we choose to ignore the truth”, he said.

Ukoh warned that addressing the fears of every constituent part of Nigeria, cannot be effectively achieved by constitutional amendment at the national assembly, saying that nepotism and discrimination has clearly created and established a mindset of the oppressor and the oppressed in minds and souls of compatriots.

He opined that only an opportunity to ”air their grievances at a conference, can assuage their fears and anger at the painful feeling of domination and dichotomy terrifying their souls and their beings. Refusal to allow them express their fears and pains at a constituent assembly, gives them the impression of a hidden agenda to deny them justice”.

According to him, the refusal to collate the reports of past National conferences and summon a constituent assembly that will save Nigeria, gives the impression of a predetermined and deliberate agenda by the people in power today, to use a rubber stamp National Assembly to create a Nigeria along their whims and caprices.

Therefore, he hinted that this will certainly be stoutly resisted by sections who feel oppressed and marginalised. A constituent Assembly will carry everybody along. That is the truth.

On the current government of 97%/5% fame, he posited that their” nepotistic style of appointments, together with her equally suspicious rubber stamp National Assembly leadership, does not inspire trust and faith to amend the disliked 1999 constitution.

He added that this government had already provoked fear and distrust with the CAMA law that empowers FG to ”disband the leadership of churches and others and appoint trustees for them, embarked on the contentious national water resources law that seeks to empower Fulani herdsmen to part-own all the rivers and streams in Nigeria.

”When you remember that this same Government has tried and attempted severally, to cage, gag and paralyse the free press. Declared war on the same social media they effectively used to hound Jonathan out of office, tried to merge religious studies in schools, same government tried to seize and annex ancestral lands in all the 36 states and hand same over to Buhari’s kinsmen in the name of RUGA,

”A Government that is comfortable with skipping the South east in all the projects covered by external loans the same excluded South east will repay. Same government totally schemed out the South east in the headship of any of the military, paramilitary and security agencies and organisations, same government excluded the South east from the ongoing railways mordernisation project, same government woefully failed to rein in the rampaging herdsmen slaughtering citizens all over the land.

”When such a sectional government embarks on constitutional amendment through a perceived rubber stamp national assembly, it arouses great premonition, trepidation and tension in land. Nobody knows their true agenda.

”We stand by the Northern elders’ forum on this: piecemeal amendment of the constitution is a waste of time and resources and will achieve absolutely nothing. Only a constituent assembly that would agree on a people’s constitution that would be affirmed at a referendum is needed now. Time is running out…”