Wednesday, 2nd June 2021: The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that the 1999 constitution falls short of the standard expected of a constitution.

He stated this at the Lagos centre of the special committee on constitution review zonal public hearing.

Gbajabiamila described the document as a “hurried compromise.”

The committee, chaired by Deputy Speaker Ahmed Wase, is conducting public hearing across all the geopolitical zones.

The South-west zone has two centres; Lagos and Akure centres. The Lagos centre comprises Lagos, Oyo and Ogun States while Akure centre is hosting Ondo, Ekiti and Osun States.

“A nation’s constitution is the foundation of its existence. It is supposed to set the terms of our nationhood and define who we are in a manner that reflects both our common truths and highest aspirations.

“Our constitution falls short of this standard because the 1999 Constitution is the product of a hurried national compromise that we entered into two decades ago in other to ensure that the military returned to the barracks and that we returned to democratic government.”

Gbajabiamila noted that not all constitutions are perfect, citing the Constitution of the United States as an example.

He explained that the imperfection of the Nigerian constitution informed the ongoing amendment process.