As a member of The Patriots, a distinguished group of Nigerians led by former Commonwealth Secretary-General Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Ozekhome had met with President Tinubu at the State House in Abuja.
Mike Ozekhome, a renowned Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and human rights lawyer urged President Bola Tinubu to demonstrate the necessary political resolve to secure a people-centered constitution for Nigeria.
Ozekhome emphasized the need for a new constitution that truly represents the will of the Nigerian people.
Reflecting on the meeting, he stressed the importance of the President mustering the political will to address Nigeria’s deep-rooted constitutional issues. He warned that without a comprehensive constitutional reform, the nation’s problems would persist.
When asked if a new constitution could alleviate the issues of poverty, insecurity, and other challenges plaguing Nigeria, Ozekhome affirmed saying, “It is. The killings you are seeing, the poverty, the corruption, they are all symptoms of a larger problem which is the basis of what we are talking about. When you solve it, other things will be in place.”
He argued that many of these challenges are symptoms of a larger constitutional problem. According to him, resolving this foundational issue would pave the way for other solutions to take hold.
He argued that Nigeria needs an indigenous, people-centric constitution to guide the country towards true nationhood.
“Nigeria is a country still yearning for nationhood. We are not united,” he stated, emphasizing that the new constitution must be ratified through a public referendum.
He further advocated for the establishment of a constituent assembly, which, according to him, is necessary for drafting a new constitution. He noted that the National Assembly must pass legislation to enable this process, after which the draft constitution would need to be signed by the President.
Ozekhome also likened Nigeria’s current situation to a car with a knocked engine, asserting that the constitution—the engine of the Nigerian state—needs to be replaced rather than merely patched up.
He said, “The political elite has to agree. If you are driving a car and the car has a knocked engine. Is it not the engine you should look at? Do you begin to panel-beat the car, spray it with beautiful paint, and buy new tires? Will that move the car?
“I am saying that the engine of the Nigerian state, for now, is knocked and it is giving rise to all these mutual suspicion, religious intolerance.”
His comments follow the largely unimplemented recommendations of the 2014 National Conference, which included proposals for constitutional amendments, community policing, fiscal federalism, and restructuring. Convened by then-President Goodluck Jonathan, the conference sought to provide actionable suggestions for the nation’s advancement.
Despite producing over 600 recommendations, the report remains largely ignored by successive administrations.
