Ezekwesili Calls For Constitutional Reform In Nigeria, Not Amendments

Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, former Minister of Education and Chief Executive Officer of Human Capital Africa, has strongly criticized the National Assembly’s ongoing constitutional amendment process, calling it a “charade” and a means to squander public funds.

Speaking on Thursday during her keynote address titled “Reworking Nigeria’s Federalism: Perspectives on Restructuring and Fiscal Federalism” at the 7th Penpushing Anniversary and Annual Lecture in Abeokuta, Ogun State, Ezekwesili expressed deep concern over Nigeria’s political landscape. She said the nation, like many others in Africa, has been overtaken by what she described as a “criminal enterprise gang” that manipulates governance for its own benefit at the expense of citizens.

She argued that instead of addressing long-standing calls for a new constitution to correct systemic imbalances, the National Assembly has opted for superficial amendments that will bring “little or no meaningful change”.

According to her, “The ongoing constitutional amendment cannot work; it cannot address our problem. It is a charade and a sheer waste of resources. The demand for a new constitution is a matter of life and death.”

Using a construction analogy, she emphasized the futility of making surface-level adjustments to a deeply flawed structure: “For instance, when the engineer tells us that the foundation of a building is structurally defective, is it not to take the whole building down? Because it will continue to constitute an endangerment to the people.

You won’t say, ‘Oga, can we just do some little adjustment to the building?’ No, it won’t work.

And this is the same with nation-building. So this expensive charade that the National Assembly is embarking on and spending money on won’t take us anywhere.”

Ezekwesili called on the media to champion the cause for a new constitution that truly reflects the people’s will.

“The media should take the front seat and be at the vanguard of a demand for a new constitution.

We must have a constitutional conference that enables the people of this country to have honest conversations around things that will make us make progress and make Nigeria work for all of us.

If there is anything that will come out of this annual lecture, it must be that the media should be at the vanguard of a push for a constitutional conference, one that will enable the constituent parts of this country, a constituent assembly elected by the people, to sit, discuss the issues that make fiscal federalism work, and come out with proposals eligible for a constitution, which will then be put before the people to vote on in a referendum.

This is what Kenya did after almost collapsing. Since then, you never hear them talking about break-ups, they talk about the need for good leaders.”

She stressed that good governance is achievable in Nigeria if there is genuine political will: “There is nothing mysterious about good governance. This thing has been done elsewhere and could be replicated here in the country.

Unfortunately, today’s politics has been hijacked. What we now have is a criminal enterprise gang, and this is not only in Nigeria but across the continent.

A criminal enterprise gang has taken hold of politics and excluded society. These people just sit at the table and slice governance in the direction that suits them. But that must not be allowed to continue.”

Ezekwesili further linked the quality of political leadership to economic development, warning that Africa cannot make real progress without reforming its political systems. She advocated for true fiscal federalism, noting that it would foster regional autonomy, promote accountability, and help meet demands for self-determination without threatening national unity.

“Fiscal federalism will boost productivity, improve leadership capacity, and foster genuine collaboration among the regions,” she said.

Also speaking at the event, the immediate past Nigerian High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafadeen Ishola, noted that although Nigeria operates federalism in theory, it fails in practice.

“It neither delivers the autonomy expected by the federating units nor promotes the developmental competition required for national growth,” he said.

Ishola, who chaired the event, emphasized that real federalism goes beyond power devolution—it must also ensure institutional clarity, fiscal fairness, responsible governance, and accountability to the people.

“Nigerians must not see restructuring as a sectional agenda but embrace it as a national rebirth strategy to address key challenges facing the country,” he added.

Earlier, the founder of Penpushing Media, Mr. Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji, said the annual lecture series aims to elevate national discourse and inspire lasting solutions to Nigeria’s pressing challenges. He highlighted Penpushing’s impact through responsible journalism and philanthropy, including training over 80 mass communication students and instituting an annual award for top graduating students in the discipline.

The event also featured goodwill messages from notable figures such as former presidential spokesman Mr. Femi Adesina; Chair of the Penpushing Editorial Board and former Lagos NUJ Chair, Funke Fadugba; and the Planning Committee Chair, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi, among others.