1999 Constitution Impedes Growth, Makes Politics Lucrative – Afe Babalola

Afe Babalola, founder of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, says Nigeria needs to bin the 1999 constitution and draft a new one which promotes growth and facilitates development.

Babalola, who spoke at an event at the university on Saturday, says the current constitution hinders development and makes politics a lucrative business.

Babalola said Nigeria needs a new constitution that will address the structural imbalance, poverty and other plethora of problems bedeviling the country.

The senior advocate of Nigeria doled out N30 million grant in equipment and cash to 115 youths.

He said the country needs a new crop of leaders that are inclined towards transforming the country, noting that that can only be achieved with a new constitution.

Making reference to the first republic, he said the old constitution hastened development in the regions of yore.

“There is a very simple solution to that. We need a new constitution where the different nations can develop at their own rate,” he said.

“West was doing well under the old constitution, east was doing well under the old constitution, north was doing well under the old constitution.

Also Read: Restructuring: Nigeria Can’t Make Economic Progress With 1999 Constitution – Moghalu

“But the present constitution puts leadership in a position that politics becomes the only lucrative business in Nigeria.

“We don’t want transactional leaders anymore; we want transformational leaders, who will be able to transform this place. The solution is a new constitution – the constitution of the people.”