KNOW THY RIGTH

The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999) by virtue of section (1)  is Supreme and its provision  binding on all authorities and persons throughout the Nation, Further more if any other law is inconsistent with the provisions of this constitution, this constitution shall prevail and that law shall to the extent of its inconsistency be void.

It then means that all organs and agency of Government are meant to perform their duties and obligations according to the dictates of the constitution, unfortunately this is not the current state of things in our beloved country Nigeria. The mockery of this ‘Grund Norm’ is embedded in chapter (2) of our constitution which begins thus;

It shall be the duty and responsibility of all organs of government and all authorities and     persons, exercising legislative, executive or judicial power to conform to and apply the provisions of this chapter of the constitution.

Tis quite clear that the draftsmen of the constitution intended that every individual under government pay, be it the president of the federal republic of Nigeria or the office clerk of any government departments, agencies or ministries should ensure that the performance of their duty is geared towards achieving the set goals as enshrined in this chapter.

The chapter further provides;

It is hereby accordingly declared that

a.      Sovereignty belongs to the people of Nigeria from whom government through this constitution derives all its powers and authority

b.      The security and welfare of the people shall be the primary purpose of government,

c.       The participation by the people in THEIR government shall be ensured in accordance with the provisions of this constitution

Like I said earlier on and you would begin to agree with me, these provisions have only made a mockery of our supreme law rather than reduce the hardship suffered by millions of Nigerians. It is my hope, belief and ambition to use this blog as a medium to remind Nigerians of the power they wield in their hands which they have intentionally or un-intentionally allowed to go down the drain. It has been specifically provided that the sovereignty of any government is derived from its citizens (150 million in the case of Nigeria) and where such citizens are not satisfied with the performance of such government, they have both the power and the right to change the person failing and replace him/her with someone who they feel has a better vision and zeal to change their life.

The constitution further provides that;

The state SHALL direct its policy towards ensuring

a.      The promotion of a planned and balanced economic development

b.      That the material resources are of the nation are harnessed and distributed asbest as possible to serve the common good

c.       That the  economic system is not operated in such manner as to permit the concentration of wealth or the means of production and exchange in the hands of few individuals or of a group; and

d.      Suitable and adequate shelter, suitable and adequate food, reasonable minimum living wage, old age care and pensions and unemployment...

A keen and observant reader would have noticed the obvious, that the government of the people have failed us in providing this basic amenities, I’m always bedazzled and stunned to my toes anytime i read this provisions and I wonder ‘am I the first person reading this?’, definitely not, why then has nothing being said or done about it? Is  it because Nigerians don’t care or  don’t want to care? or is it because we  Nigerians are only  good at talking with no action to support it? Tis for these reasons that I have decided to throw the gauntlet to my fellow compatriots by letting them know of their fundamental rights and see if we would rather fold our hands or create order amidst the chaos that has engulfed this beloved country of ours. “sSuffering and smiling“ as the prophetic legendary fela kuti once put it.

I’m not a revolutionist neither am I advocating a revolution, the solution is and has always been in our hands, we have only failed to put it to use. For Christ sake, why choose a leader based on Religious, Ethnic, Tribal or Linguistic ground rather than merit and expect any achievement worthy of commendation from such a leader, such expectation is only a mirage and tantamount to someone trying to reach east by travelling west. Some legal scholars and analyst would tell you that chapter (2) of the constitution is not enforceable before any law courts (though I beg to disagree) and so we can’t do anything about it, its my humble opinion that we need not go to a law court  before we can bring to reality the dreams we have for our beloved country.

If we truly want to stop using generators amidst this epileptic power supply then we need to put people with the right leadership drive and vision  at the helm of affairs in this country. My worry with my fellow Nigerians is they never fail to disappoint when you need them the most, tis my prayer that we would stand up and decide by ourselves what is good for this country and not make the mistake of leaving it in the hands of selfish politicians who only have the size of their bank account at heart.

Thank you!