Why we must review constitution, by Jonathan

PRESIDENT Goodluck Jonathan yesterday received the report of the Presidential Committee on the Review of Outstanding Issues from Recent Constitutional Conferences led by former Chief Justice Alfa Belgore, saying it “signals a seminal defining moment in Nigeria’s quest for the consolidation and entrenchment of democratic ideals in our nation’s political and governance processes.”
He said that even though the present Constitution has served the nation well, the general consensus is that it requires review and amendment in view of gaps that have become evident in the attempt to operationalise it over the last 13 years.
The committee, which was inaugurated on November 17, 2011, reached unanimous agreements on changes in key areas of the Constitution, including provisions to strengthen fundamental rights as well as legal protection for all citizens, especially children, women and the physically-challenged; security of life and property, the protection of the law, speedy and fairer administration of justice and local council administration.
In addition, the committee recommended the strengthening of the Legislature at all levels and also to demand conformity with extant national regulations in the conduct of their affairs and the granting of the Executive more flexibility in policy-making, like the removal of the Land Use Act from the Constitution but retaining it as a National Law.
Stating that the work of the committee would be an important component in the process of national dialogue for enduring change and transformation, the President added that enforcement of “fundamental rights and equitable dispensation of justice must be made real as they would greatly influence the average citizen’s sense of obligation and patriotic disposition towards the nation.”
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