President Bola Tinubu, on Friday in Abuja, met with The Patriots, a group of distinguished Nigerians, and emphasized that a primary focus of his administration is retooling the economy for sustainable growth and development.
During the meeting, the President also assured the group that their request for the convening of a national constituent assembly to draft a new constitution would be carefully considered.
President Tinubu made this commitment while receiving members of The Patriots, led by Chief Emeka Anyaoku, former Commonwealth Secretary-General, at the State House.
Speaking on behalf of the group, Chief Anyaoku urged the President to send an executive bill to the National Assembly proposing two key measures:
First, the convening of a national constituent assembly tasked with drafting a people’s democratic constitution.
This assembly would be composed of directly elected representatives from each of the 36 states, with possibly three representatives per state and one from the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
The assembly would be supported by seven constitutional lawyers, one from each of the six geopolitical zones and the FCT. The deliberations would consider the 1960/63 constitutions, the recommendations of the 2014 National Conference, and other relevant national conferences that have addressed Nigeria’s constitutional issues.
Secondly, the group proposed legislation for a national plebiscite to present the draft constitution produced by the constituent assembly to the Nigerian people for approval. If ratified by a national referendum, the draft constitution would then be signed by the President as the authentic constitution of the Nigerian people.
In response, President Tinubu expressed his respect for The Patriots and their significant contributions to national dialogue.
“I have listened to you carefully, and this is not a group I can ignore. You represent the heart and aspirations of society. I thank you for being here,” he said.
The President acknowledged the democratic challenges inherited from previous struggles and recognized the importance of such challenges in achieving good governance.
He assured the group of his commitment to national unity and pledged to take whatever steps necessary to ensure happiness and good governance for all Nigerians.
Tinubu also acknowledged that the call for constitutional reforms is a longstanding issue in Nigeria’s national discourse.
He took note of the examples provided by The Patriots of pluralistic countries like Canada and India, which have maintained unity by addressing their diversity through their constitutions.
“The avoidance of chaos is essential to building this country and moving its aspirations forward for the benefit of all,” the President stated.
He emphasized that his current priority is economic reform, but once this is in place, he would consider other options, including the recommended constitutional review.
During the meeting, President Tinubu also paid tribute to the founding chairman of The Patriots, the late Chief Rotimi Williams, SAN, and Professor Ben Nwabueze, who succeeded him, recognizing their significant contributions to Nigeria.
