Constitution Amendment: CSLS Tasks Nigerians To Participate Fully, Make Necessary Contributions In The Reform

…Devolution of power, justice ability of provisions on social, economic rights, keep to true development – says Akinseye-George, SAN

Deji Adebayo, Abuja

As the build up towards giving Nigeria a workable and people oriented Constitution continues at the National Assembly, the Centre for Socio-Legal Studies (CSLS), has tasked Nigerians to participate fully in the constitution amendment program currently going on across the country.

The CSLS President, Prof Yemi Akinseye-George, SAN, made this call in Abuja on Tuesday during a capacity building workshop on Constitutional Impediments To Access To Justice in Nigeria, organized by the centre.

The senior lawyer pointed out many things in the Constitution that are hindering the progress of the nation, therefore called on all Nigerians to get involved in the ongoing constitutional reforms.

He said; “There are many provisions which need to be reformed so as to remove them from being obstacles to access to justice. One of the most important one is chapter two which deals with fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy.

This is one of the most important provisions because the great majority of the people in the country are poor and they need welfare, economic wellbeing and if the chapter that provides for economic and social rights are not justiciable that is a huge gap in the Constitution.

Akinseye-George said; “We also need to look at the ways judges are appointed, we need a merit based appointment system for the judiciary, a situation where the executives continue to wield so much influence over appointment of judges is not good for the system, so we need to look at that.

“A justice system cannot deliver effectively where its independence is structurally constrained. Judicial autonomy is not only a constitutional ideal; it is a prerequisite for fairness, efficiency, and public confidence”, he added.

Another area the CSLS is pushing for constitutional change is in the area of power sharing among all the tiers of government, which the body observed is concentrated at the center.

They argued that if power is granted to the local governments and the wards, they would be able to protect themselves and organize their security.

The centre lamented that the judgment of the Supreme Court which gave autonomy to local governments in the country could not be effected because of certain constitutional provisions, hence the need to rejig the entire Constitution to make it serve the needs of Nigerians.

“Today’s engagement is both timely and strategic. Across Nigeria, justice sector institutions continue to grapple with structural, procedural, and operational challenges that impede the effective administration of justice. While many of these issues are administrative or policy-related, a significant number are rooted in the constitutional framework itself. This workshop therefore provides us with a critical platform to examine these constraints and build the capacity of stakeholders to advocate for necessary reforms”, he said.

The law professor disclosed that the workshop aimed at deepening stakeholders understanding of constitutional obstacles to access to justice; build technical capacity on constitutional interpretation, reform processes, and advocacy strategies; strengthen collaborative engagement among justice actors; and foster a unified approach toward addressing long-standing constitutional constraints.