A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, OCJ Okocha, has said that the amendment of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution is long overdue, stressing that the process should have begun at the dawn of democratic rule.
Speaking in an interview, Okocha stated that he had expected constitutional reform efforts to commence as early as 1999 under the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo. He emphasized that the responsibility of amending the constitution should not rest solely with the National Assembly, but should involve broader input from the Nigerian populace.
Okocha described the 2014 National Conference convened by former President Goodluck Jonathan as one of the more credible attempts at constitutional reform in the country’s history. However, he expressed skepticism about growing calls for a completely new constitution, noting that such a move may prove difficult to achieve.
