President Goodluck Jonathan Tuesday
described the 1999 Constitution as a
flawed document that needs be
reviewd to reflect the current realities
in the country and strengthen social
contracts between the disparate parts
and nationalities.

Jonathan made the remarks when he
received the report of the Justice Alfa
Belgore-led Committee on the Review
of Outstanding Constitutional Issues at
the State House, Abuja.

The President who observed that
there has been delay, lasting over 13
years in the review of the Constitution
posited that the work of the Belgore
Committee is an attempt to ameliorate
the inherent lacuna in the document
which must be addressed.

The key areas that needed attention,
which the committee was mandated to
look into were the Fundamental Rights
of citizens, security of lives and
property, local government
administration, Land Use Act and the
judiciary and provision of
infrastructure.

The president noted that the
Constitution “requires review and
amendment in view of gaps that have
become evident in our attempt to
operationalize it over the last 13
years,” stressing that: “the Committee’s
mandate included the preparation of a
legislative bill that would be sent to the
National Assembly for debate and
consideration in the proposed
Constitutional Review exercise.”

“I am informed that the Committee
reached unanimous agreements on
changes in key areas of the
Constitution; and that the
recommendations that you are
submitting today include provisions to
strengthen Fundamental Rights as well
as legal protection for all citizens,
especially children, women and the
physically challenged. I also
understand that you have worked
hard to develop provisions for speedy
and fairer administration of justice,”

President Jonathan said..
He stated that: “equitable dispensation
of justice must be made real as they
greatly influence the average citizen’s
sense of obligation and patriotic
disposition towards the nation,”
pointing out that all manner of people,
especially at the grassroots level must
be carried along as “the greatest asset
of our democracy is the commitment
of people at the grassroots to the
ideals of transparency, accountability
and good governance.”

In his remarks while presenting the
committee’s report, Justice Alfa
Belgore stated that the committee
critically appraised the
recommendations of recent
Constitutional Conferences, endorsed
many of the recommendations made
therefrom and produced a main
report, drafts of bills or the
amendments to the constitution that
will guide the National Assembly in its
work.
reviewing the document.

Appealing on the need to jettison the
system of justice the nation inherited
from the colonialists, Justice Belgore
observed that:”The procedures we
inherited from the colonial tines which
were originally meant for jury has not
helped the speedy dispensation of
justice”

He suggested that the Chief Justice of
Nigeria must be given powers to
establish a Council, comprising the
judiciary, the bar, the private sector
and government, ,that will be
responsible for the making of rules
that will guide the administration of
both civil and criminal cases.

To solve the problem of the collision
between the judiciaries of the states
and the bar Justice Belgore offered
that the President should “set up a
panel to look into the possibility of a
unified modern criminal legislation.”

He admonished that the apex
government should step up efforts to
upgrade electricity generation to
40,000 Mega Watts, intensify
industrialisation and create
employment for Nigerians, saying that;
“the present situation of some
disgruntled elements trying to
destabilise the country will soon pass,
once Vision20:2020 starts having
even greater effect on the economy.”

www.thisdaylive.com/articles/jonathan-1999-constitution-is-flawed/119791/

The present Constitution is a document by the Military and the Old Establishment to protect their interest and that of their children till time immemorial