Prominent constitutional lawyer and Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Mike Ozekhome, has once again called for a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution, labeling it an “illegitimate” document incapable of addressing the nation’s complex challenges.
Speaking during an interview on Arise News on Monday, Ozekhome dismissed the ongoing efforts to amend the constitution, insisting that the document—crafted under military rule—lacks both legitimacy and popular consent.
“You can’t fix a flawed foundation with amendments,” he said. “The 1999 Constitution is not a product of the people. It was imposed by the military through Decree No. 24 of 1999, yet claims in its preamble, ‘We the people…’ That is a lie.”
Ozekhome described the current constitution as a unitary document disguised as federalism, arguing that it centralizes too much power at the federal level and deprives states and citizens of meaningful autonomy and rights.
He stressed that Nigeria needs a brand-new constitution, written through a truly democratic process, reflecting the country’s ethnic, religious, and linguistic diversity.
“We need to start afresh, from a clean slate—like Naaman who dipped himself in the Jordan River to be healed. That’s how deep the rot is,” he said.
The legal expert also criticized the bloated size of government and the excessive cost of governance, noting that Nigeria’s federal legislature is oversized and inefficient. He pointed out the burden of maintaining over 400 federal lawmakers and dozens of ministries and agencies, which consumes up to 80% of national revenue on recurrent expenditure and debt servicing.
“No nation can grow under such a wasteful structure,” he said. “We keep amending shadows instead of dealing with the substance.”
Ozekhome warned that unless Nigeria adopts a people-driven constitution that decentralizes power and promotes accountability, the country will remain trapped in dysfunction and stagnation.
