BY DAPO AKINREFON
LAGOS — A senior member of the inner bar Chief Afe Babalola, SAN, has flayed opponents, especially within the National Assembly, to the convocation of a Sovereign National Conference, SNC, saying sovereignty resides in the people.
Chief Babalola said this yesterday at the 5th annual MOB lecture series in commemoration of the 49th birthday anniversary of Mr Michael Opeyemi Bamidele. The lecture entitled: "Legislating in troubled times: National Assembly and challenges of legislating for good governance in Nigeria", held at the Alunmi hall, Christ School in Ado-Ekiti.
While attributing the problems of the country to defects in the 1999 Constitution, he noted that the process of constitution making is all-encompassing.
He said: "I have remained resolute in the belief that many of the problems currently facing the country are a direct result of the lopsidedness of the 1999 constitution. This is itself traceable to the fact that the 1999 Constitution on which our democratic government is hinged, was imposed on us by the military without any input by any of us".
Babalola, who was chairman of the occasion, argued that "as a result of this diversity, it was and is still necessary that the constitution making process should take into recognition all factors aimed at bringing about a true peoples constitution".
Backing his claim with Section 14 (2) of the 1999 constitution, the legal luminary said "the sovereign rights of Nigerians entitle them to amend the existing constitution or substitute a new one for the existing constitution".
Speaking further, he maintained that "it is not for those who were elected under the existing constitution and empowered to govern, rule or make laws and regulations under the existing constitution to deny the people of Nigeria their sovereign right to jettison the old constitution or substitute a new one for the existing constitution. The sovereign right belongs to the people and not to their delegates".
He disagreed with the Senate President, Senator David Mark for opposing the idea of convening a conference saying, "I consider the statement of the President of the Senate as preemptory. I believe that Nigerians should have the ultimate say as to whether a sovereign national conference is necessary or not. Again, I must emphasize that sovereignty does not reside in the presidency or the executive, the National Assembly or the judiciary but in the people".
The guest lecturer, Professor Kunle Ajayi, in his address, said government at all levels have failed to perform in their respective constitutional responsibilities.
Professor Ajayi, who is also the head, Department of Political Science, Ekiti State University, blamed the present crop of politicians for failing to provide good governance.
His words: "Bad governance rather than good governance is what governments are rewarding us for voting them into power."
He called on the electorate to hold public officials accountable the university don said "while the legislators are failing in their over-sight powers over other arms of government with many abandoned projects all over the country and non-performance of the ministries and parastatals, we need to exercise over-sight functions over our parliamentarians".
Speaking on the topic titled: "Legislating in troubled times: National Assembly and challenges of legislating for good governance in Nigeria", the scholar added that "We need to take a register of their attendance at House sittings and how often they visit and live in their constituencies. We must learn how to exercise the people power in democracy."
In his remarks, Mr Opeyemi Bamidele said "I will not be one of those lawmaker who will not be heard until after four years; indeed, it has been one year of walking my talk on the floor of the House of Representatives".
Continuing, the lawmaker, who represents Ado-Ekiti/Irepodun-Ifelodun Federal Constituency said he was committed to delivering dividends of democracy to the people of his constituency.
He said: "the event of the past one year has shown that so much is expected from us as your representatives to make good our promise to make Nigeria a better country. Though we are not mindful of other forces who wish otherwise, I assure you that we will do more than our best".
Eminent persons present at the event include: former governor of Ondo state, Evangelist and Mrs Bamidele Olumilua; Mr Biodun Akinfasaye who represented Governor Kayode Fayemi; the Oluyin of Iyin, Oba Ademola Ajakaiye; Mr and Mrs Opeyemi Bamidele, Ekiti state chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, Chief Tunde Awe; Messrs Bimbo Daramola and Adekunle Fatai; former local government chairman of Oshodi-Isolo, Chief Ipesa Balogun; the Chief Imam of Ekiti state, Alhaji Jamiu Bello; Dr Sanya Awosan, Mrs Omowunmi Edet, Mr Dayo Akinlaja (SAN); clergymen and traditional rulers.
Vanguard Nigeria