Former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, has stated that Nigeria’s challenges stem from its leaders rather than the country’s constitution. Lamido shared this perspective in response to a recent call by The Patriots, a group of elder statesmen, for a new constitution. The group, led by former Commonwealth Secretary-General Emeka Anyaoku, had met with President Bola Tinubu to advocate for the establishment of a constituent assembly to draft a people-centred constitution.
In an interview with THISDAY on Sunday, Lamido expressed his disagreement with the notion that Nigeria’s problems are caused by flaws in the 1999 Constitution. He argued that the issues result from the way the constitution is implemented, which is affected by human error, rather than the constitution’s inherent weaknesses.
He explained: “If you see smoke from the chimney and it is polluting the entire environment, and it is very black and you are choking from the smoke, what you have to do is to find out where the smoke is coming out from. Don’t blame the chimney; calm down and find out the source of the smoke. Find out the problem and deal with it. The symptoms are only a manifestation of something that has gone wrong. Why do you blame the constitution?”
Lamido pointed out that a constitution is not designed to think or act like a human being, nor is it capable of solving every problem. He believes it is supposed to serve as a guide for governance, not a solution to all challenges. “The people who are supposed to operate and implement the constitution are Nigerians,” Lamido noted. “Now tell me who is doing the right thing in Nigeria: From the motor parks to the schools to the banks.”
Lamido criticized the constant calls to amend the constitution following any national issue, questioning how many new constitutions the country needs before it can function properly. “After any problem, we shout ‘amend the constitution.’ How many new constitutions do we need to have?” he asked.
According to him, the core issue is not with the constitution itself but with those responsible for its execution. He observed that conflicts across Nigeria, from the southeast to the northwest, are not the result of the constitution but of the actions of the people operating under it.
“It is not the constitution; it is the operation of the constitution. There is no perfect human being or perfect constitution anywhere in the world but we the operators,” he remarked, further adding that in other countries, constitutions are effective because of the way they are managed.
Lamido concluded that the root of Nigeria’s problems lies in the attitude and character of its leaders, noting, “No matter how fast you run, your shadow will follow you.” His remarks emphasize the need for a change in leadership behavior rather than continued efforts to rewrite the constitution.
