By Adekola Afolabi
& Samuel Edu

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Nigeria may not witness meaningful development if the defects and lopsidedness in the 1999 constitution are not tinkered with.

This is the position of the Ondo State Governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and the Catholic Bishop of Ondo Diocese, Most Rev’d Jude Arogundade.

The Governor and Bishop who spoke at the Alumni Lecture of Adeyemi College of Education and the 57th World Communication Day respectively affirmed that among the major challenges facing Nigeria are the defects in the 1999 constitution.

Akeredolu lamented that the current socio-political structure in the country is hostile to development.

He added that there would be no end to the misery of the people unless the constitution is repositioned so as to prepare for the production of goods and services.

Represented by his Special Adviser on Union Matters and Special Duties, Mr. Dare Aragbaiye, Akeredolu noted that the component units of the federation must be able to chart the course of development in their localities.

He said every State should be free to explore its areas of strength for the benefit of the indigenes and inhabitants, saying States should not be reduced to pathetic beggars in a Federation as the situation is at the moment.

According to the Governor, the subversion of the people’s will cannot engender progress in any society if the essence of development is the amelioration of the challenges faced by them.

He said any law which imposes the whims and caprices of a select but partisan few on the majority of the people, cannot be used to advance the cause of the society.

“If there is any document whose existence represents an experiment in audacious mendacity, it is this so called Constitution of the people of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“The Constitution tells manifest lies against itself. It purports to represent the wishes of the Nigerian people but nothing can be farther from this obvious lie,” Akeredolu said.

The Governor recommended the 1963 Republican Constitution as a veritable guide for the desired development.

He said the independence era witnessed phenomenal development in all the three Regions, saying great achievements were achievable because the policies and programmes of the Governments were owned by the people.

Governor Akeredolu called on the in-coming administration of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to be courageous to confront the problems headlong.

In his own submission, the Catholic Bishop of Ondo Diocese, Most Rev’d Jude Arogundade said Nigeria’s constitution is the country’s major problem.

Arogundade who noted that the 1999 constitution is on trial, stressed that: “Nigeria’s problems cannot be solved with the present faulty constitution the country is operating with.

“What is on trial in the country that lead to the hydra headed problem it is facing is neither the political parties nor political leaders but the constitution of the country.”

At the well attended programme held at the Sacred Heart Cathedral, Arogundade said a situation where a president swore to uphold and defend a faulty constitution is not the best for the country.

He said Nigeria got it wrong from the time of almagamation.

“Not Nigeria, political parties like APC, PDP, or anybody are on trial, what is on trial is Nigeria constitution. The constitution has been faulty from the period of almagamation. We got it wrong from the beginning.

“Nigeria has disagreement on almost everything. The country’s constitution is on trial and anybody that comes to power must think on how to unite the country.

“We do not want a country where invaders will kill its citizens and no one will take responsibility for such heinous act.

He called on journalists both within and outside the state to make honesty their priority while carrying out their responsibilities.

Arogundade who noted that the media is a crucial instrument of peace in the nation, harped on the indispensability of truth and fairness of media reports towards the progress of any nation.

“The World Communication’s Day is a time for us as media practitioners to reflect on those things that concerns the unity and progress of our nation.

“Nigeria is a country with large christian population with various divisions. It is the duty of journalists to ensure that all the media tools are harnessed to bring about peace.

The guest lecturer, Professor Mobolanle Oniya who spoke on the theme “Speaking With the Heart, the Truth in Love,” urged journalists to prioritize the truth.

“Speaking with the heart is saying it as it is without fear or favour. It is communicating with the full awareness of being nice, concerned and caring, yet honest about the issue under discourse.

“The people will take the news as the media presents it and this is the power of the media.

“We talk of investigative journalism but should journalists be investigated? An investigated journalist will always speak the truth from the heart.”