Dear Readers
Last week, on Friday, August 9th, the President of Nigeria, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, officially hosted a group of eminent Nigerians popularly known as the Patriots at the presidential villa in Abuja. The purpose of the visit was primarily to receive the Patriots’ demand for a new Nigerian constitution, which, in the Patriots’ view, must result from people’s input and consent.
I observed that the Patriots also used the occasion to wade into the issue of the ongoing protest, and they invited the government to dialogue with protestors at all levels of the federation and asked the government to stop law enforcement agents from using lethal weapons on protesting civilians.
The President received and discussed with the Patriots in the company of strategically selected members of his government. The presence of these notable individuals, including his Vice President, Kashim Shettima, and other key figures, underscored the importance of the event. President Tinubu showed up with his Vice President, Kashim Shettima; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Geroge Akume; Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu; Minister for Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi and the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga and others.
Chief Emeka Anyaoku, the former Secretary General of the Commonwealth of Nations, currently leads the Patriots. Before him was Prof Ben Nwabuweze (SAN); before that, it was Chief Rotimi Williams (QC, SAN). Group members read like a “who is who” list in a Nigerian academic and socio-political reference book. Think of names likeGeneral Ike Nwachukwu, Prof Bolaji Akinyemi, Elder Solomon Asemota, Prof Itse Sagay, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Senator Bassey Ewa-Henshaw, Prof Adenike Grange, Senator Ben Obi, Obong Victor Attah, Dr Kalu I. Kalu, Chief Tola Adeniyi, Mallam Yusuf Ali, Dr Olisa Agbakoba and Prof Pat Utomi to mention a few.
Clearly and consciously not partisan as a group but certainly influential as individuals in their various national and professional communities, the group that physically represented the Patriots at the meeting with the President included Kanu Agabi, Ferguson Bobai, Annkio Briggs, Boni Haruna, Labaran Maku, Ben Obi, Simon Okeke, Wale Okuniyi, Olusegun Osoba, Mike Ozekome, Pogus Bitrus, Abubakar Ibrahim Azara, Sheu Sani, Yerima Shetima, Jahlil Tafawa-Balewa and Pauline Tallen.
The Patriots’ position, as presented to the President, can be summarised thus: the country’s current constitution is illegitimate and inadequate because it lacks a direct and clear people’s mandate and does not reflect the diversity of Nigeria’s people.
The Patriots also hold that many issues affecting the country are, in reality, symptoms and consequences of an inappropriate structure of the country. To solve these structural and functional problems, the Patriots propose that the President, through an executive bill, facilitate the creation of an elected constituent assembly that will review the reports of the 2014 national confab, the 1963 Constitution, and other constitutional reports and, from all these reports, come up with an appropriate constitution that will be put to a referendum.
Beyond the formal and courteous reception, it seemed reasonable to me and other observers in that room to conclude that the President was not at all opposed to the Patriots’ demands and vision. I almost struggled to hide my chuckle when I realised that the Patriots had masterfully lined up a team of members whose existence in Nigeria and presence at the Villa are reminders of Bola Tinubu’s past as committed to restructuring and a people’s constitution.
In response to the Patriots’ demand, President Tinubu admitted his softness and respect for the demand and the people who brought it. In his words, “This is a group “I cannot ignore…” but explained that his focus now is primarily on the economic reforms he is pursuing and that once that is done, he and his government will certainly look into the reforms advocated for by the Patriots and other groups.
Clearly, the President was keen on making it known that he was aware of, concerned about and focused on fixing the economy.
Knowing the Patriots, as I do, there is no doubt that talking to the President is just the beginning, not the end, of their mission. These people have somehow made the art of the long game their lifestyles and mode of operation. They will not wait for the President, and I know they will push and pull until they get what they want and understand to be just for the country.
However, in their quest for a new Nigerian constitution, there are some practical and notional issues that this Emeka Anyaoku-led Patriots will soon need to address. How will the Patriots convince Nigerians that spending money and time on a new constituent assembly is a worthy investment, not a waste? The world will be waiting to see how the Patriots can birth (or at least help birth) a new constitution without them turning partisan and sectional. So far, the Patriots have proven to command the attention of the ruling class in the country; the next step and test is to see how they can convince the people. It is worth remembering here that the Patriots were more than instrumental in convening the 2014 national conference. Still, a lot has happened since then, and the world has also learnt that conveying does not automatically mean implementation in Nigeria.
Let us be clear: those who despondently think and say the problem is not the constitution and system but the people who manage it, thereby inferring that the quest for a new constitution is unnecessary, are wrong. Their discouragement is understandable, but they miss the way social constructs work.
Few things can galvanise a new orientation and direction for the country, like the moments of sitting together to write the rules of relating with each other within such a country. Such a process not only guarantees the recognition of the aspirations and concerns of different segments of society but also allows all to know what their rights and duties are to the commonwealth.
Whilst we wait for the Patriots to reach out to more people, allow me to invite you to participate in an exercise and to invite others to participate in the same exercise: What would you like to see in a new Nigerian constitution?
Let’s continue these critical conversations on Twitter. Join me at @anthonykila and share your thoughts and insights.
Anthony Kila is an Institute Director at CIAPS. www.ciaps.org.