By, Shehu Bello-Olayinka

One thing that is missing and has hindered the development of Nigeria, that I have come to realise and accept is the non-existence of moral constitution.

The current optic and the Shenanigans being played out by some, has made me realise that even if the division or restructuring clamoured by some is to be achieved, the current maladies rocking country will still be what the different regions or State will still be dealing with. More agitators and secessionists will spring up within each regions and States.

We need to come to terms and look deep, beyond ourselves and move into the society before we can understand what actually is really wrong with the country.

Are the said one percent at the helms of affairs of this country not a product of society? What makes, Obasanjo, Atiku, Tinubu Buhari, clown Dino or Saraki different from the man on the street of Abuja or Anambra?

Nigeria is an insane country. I have seen first hand how my people behave like lesser beings in front of politicians, even when he or she is no different from them.

The Nigerian constitution is not the problem, but the citizenry attitude.

Every Nigerian is in need of attitudinal change.

One of Nigeria greatest product, Dr. Kole Abayomi, SAN, a legal luminary during the seventh edition of the Professor Alfred Bandele Kasunmu, SAN, organised by the department of law, University of Lagos, at the school main Auditorium, opined that the citizenry of the country needs an attitudinal change.

Excerpt from his speech: “there are many things going on in this country, compounded by the fact that the economy of this country is no growing” he said.

“It is in focus that we discuss where we discuss from where we go from here. To my mind, we have gone through a lot of conferences and constitution: from Littleton to Macpherson and to the one that granted self governance, to the state to the regions to the independence and Republican constitution. To the creation of more State and yet no one is satisfied, as there is a always a problem to be solve.
To me it is not the amount of the number, or the contest of the constitution that is important, but it is the attitude of the citizenry to the constitution, after all Britain has no written constitution and for many years, they have manage to be balance. Restructuring can be political, economical or financial and the problem will not be solve another reconstruction or reconstitution what is important is the moral constitution”.

“Reconstruction that will show humility, love, tolerance, accommodation and will obliterate the divine rights of a particular section to rule us and to continue to do this. That is moral realignment, absolute love, absolute purity, absolute accommodation and with that I am sure Nigeria will best for it”.

The key point from that is the country has gone through a lot of restructuring and some still seem not to be satisfied.

Each restructuring embarked upon by Nigeria since independence, has come from agitations by some disgruntled and dissatisfied citizens.

If the division or the restructuring clamoured by some is to be achieved, then the same thing we are grappling with, will still be the same each State or region will be dealing with.

Nigeria is a corrupt country. It is even more worrying that the youths, are embracing and seeing nothing wrong in corruption.

Have we been able to correct the moral decadence and distrust that exist amongst us?

We shout and bark at the police when they tend not to perform their duties well, but refused to accept that the Nigerian policemen and women, are underdeveloped, under-funded and giving weapons used in world war one and two to combat crimes in a country like Nigeria.

Nigeria is now a crimogenic State, only because the populace allowed it.

Our educational and health system is in a comatose state, because the people allowed and gave thumbs up to a very fraudulent and self-centered former leader.

Even within the Igbo community, a high level of hatred and distrust still exist. Same as in other ethnic groups.

The Nigerian society is of a society that support and glorify criminals.

This is a country where a mother or father pushes his/her ward into prostitution or fraudulent activities.

We allowed and gave credence to stupidity and fatuous characters exhibited by Political elites.

We glorify and praise politicians inhumane character, and also smile and laugh with them whenever support induced by money is demanded from us.
No society develop on having half of the population with a mindset that success only comes with engaging in fraudulent activities.

No society develop when almost all it politicians are protégés of the Abrahamic faith said King of the underworld.

No country develop when government of the day tries working out a policy that would help in the development of the country and you have people due to ethno-religious sentiment and low-level thinking ability of the populace standing against it.

No County develop, when everything has been politicise.

No country develop when almost 70% of it population are actually still suffering from mental slavery.

As said by Gimba Kakanda in one of his articles, the same problems faced by South East is the same faced by other geopolitical zones.

The same political elites in the south east, are the same situated and residing in other geopolitical zones.

For the country to be better, it needs it citizenry to do away with coulrophobia, stand against those beast residing in every government houses, to start thinking critically and having a moral constitution in our society.

Only efforts of the citizens can save this country.


Shehu Bello Olayinka, is a political commentator, who reside in Lagos. A graduate of Mass Communication from Lagos State Polytechnic.

He can be reached @ Olayinkashehu@gmail.com, Twitter: Twitter.com/shehu, Facebook: Facebook.com/shehu.olayinka

A society were materialism is worship as if its a demi-god,we dont care be it legit or illegal "wealth must be made".We place premium on sentiments,tribe,ethnics,religion at the detriment of our collective development.Sometimes i wonther if some people have conscience at all,due to their dubious,immoral action they exihibit,we go to mosque nd church,bt the basic tenants of those religiouns are not practice by the followers.Truely,what we need in this country is "the restructuring of mindset and attitudinal change".My take on it.