Former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) and ex-Chairman of the Body of Benchers, Wole Olanipekun, SAN, has urged the National Assembly to halt ongoing amendments to the 1999 Constitution and initiate the process for a new, people-driven legal framework.
Delivering the 13th Convocation Lecture of Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, titled “Nigeria Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow: Imperative of a Sober and Definitive Recalibration,” Olanipekun described the 1999 Constitution as a “military albatross” imposed on Nigerians without consultation or consent.
He said the document had outlived its usefulness, failed to reflect the nation’s diversity, and perpetuated inequality among the federating units.
According to him, Nigeria needs “a negotiated constitution that genuinely mirrors the people’s collective will and uniqueness.
“The National Assembly should, for the time being, stay action on any further amendment to the 1999 Constitution. What we need now is a total overhaul — a substitution altogether. It must be a new, homegrown document that can usher in a new social order,” he said.
The Senior Advocate lamented that the current constitutional structure concentrates too much power at the centre, emasculates the states, and entrenches inequalities through provisions such as the Land Use Act and arbitrary creation of local governments.
He added that the present system had hindered growth, justice, and sustainable development, noting that it neither reflects true federalism nor Nigeria’s plural configuration.
On security, Olanipekun reiterated the urgent need for state and community policing, describing the current system as “over-centralised,” where governors are mere “chief security officers” without real control over police operations in their states.
In his remarks, the university’s founder, Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, urged President Bola Tinubu, the National Assembly, and the NBA to take Olanipekun’s recommendations seriously and act swiftly in the nation’s interest.