Nigeria

Groups demand a revision of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999

The AKWA Ibom Reforms Forum, a socio-economic and political reform group in Nigeria, has asked upon the National Assembly to look over and review the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 blaming it for the recent activity of the Islamic military group Boko haram, a terrorist group that has been harrassing Nigeria, as well as all other military orginizations such as the protracted Niga Delta crisis. The reform group believes that the constitution is very subjective and violates the 36 Nigerian states liberties. The Federal Republic of Nigeri’s constitution calls for a Federal government with power splitted between the nation government and states. According to the reform group however, the government is run as a unitary government with almost all the power being held by the nation government which prevents the “legitimate aspirations of the people and government of the 36 states to be heard."

The current government, although formally a federal republic, is run primarily only by the nation government with very little power actually given to the states. Although the constitution gives power and influence to the state government, the nation government has the authority to cancel out the states ruling and enact there own laws therefor compelety undermining the state government and therefor the feleral republic turning in more into a unitary government. This is partly because there is no system of checks and balences in the constitution which allows the nation government to reign with almost absolute power. The nation government therefor see’s the oppurtunity to become the sole rulers of there government and have taked this oppurtunity. The reform group is trying to restore power back to the people, which includes them, and therefor is trying to grab a slice of power away from the nation government who currently holds it all.

Realist

http://africanheraldexpress.com/blog7/2011/09/22/group-blames-nigerian-constitution-for-boko-haram/

http://www.scoop.co.nz/stories/WO1109/S00542/group-blames-nigerian-constitution-for-boko-haram.htm

September 22, 2011 at 11:05 pm