Nigeria, A Country Bedevilled By Ignorance, Apathy, Dicilty, Cowardice And Arrogance

Chief Malcolm Emokiniovo Omirhobo .

LAGOS JULY 22^ND (NEWSRANGERS)-Fellow  ignoramus . Oh sorry I mean fellow  compatriots . Before the slip I was going to ask you   the following questions  and demand for   your sincere  answers .

How many of us know the origin and  meaning of the word  constitution  ? How many of us know that Nigeria has a constitution? How many of us know that  the  Nigerian constitution is the supreme law of the land, above all other laws with a binding effect on us  and  all authorities  in Nigeria ?  How many of us know that Nigeria must be governed  by her  constitution and  not by  religion , tradition, customs , common sense , whims and caprices of man  ?  How many of us  have seen a copy of the Nigerian constitution before  ? How many of us own a copy of the Nigerian constitution ? How many of us read the Nigerian constitution the way we read our bible and quran ?  How many of us  make reference to the Nigerian constitution  the way we refer to our holy books? How many of us were taught by our parents or guardians about our country’s constitution ? How many of us  in  our school days were taught  about the Nigerian  constitution ? How many of us as parents, elders  religious  , political , traditional and community leaders , professionals, academicians , interlectuals  and elites ,  teach  or discuss the Nigerian constitution  with  our children, wards, followers , congregations, subjects, juniors , protégé   ,  students  etc  with the view of instilling in them  the true   letters  and spirit  of the Nigerian  constitution? How many of us follow or  abide by the Nigerian  constitution? How many of us know the importance and essence  of the Nigerian constitution? How many of us know that our civic  obligations are contained in  our country’s constitution and our  fundamental rights  guaranteed and enshrined therein ?  How many of us know that the duties and responsibilities of the Nigerian government to us  is contained in the Nigerian constitution ? How many of us ensure that we are guided by the Nigerian constitution at all times  ? How many of us are ready and prepared to  defend the Nigerian constitution when the need arises?  And  how many of us know that we owe our allegiance to the Nigerian constitution  and not to the our  president , governors, ,  traditional rulers,  pastors,  Imams or any man ? 

Fellow ignoramus . Oh sorry I mean fellow Nigerians .  After  answering  the above questions I implore you to  gauge  your level of ignorance of  your country’s constitution  on a scale of one to ten . But just before you do so  , I  suggest  that   at this point , we look at the  word constitution , its origin ,  meaning ,  importance and essence in a democracy pertaining to the rule of law of a country  to enable you fairly, objectively and  comprehensively score yourselves 

The word “constitution” comes from a Latin word meaning “an important law” and was generally declared by a Roman emperor, the highest authority in the land .

A constitution is the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to a body of fundamental principles or established precedents according to which a state or other organization is acknowledged to be governed. A country is run by the government, judicial bodies, its people, and most importantly by the Constitution. The constitution serves as the backbone of the country. Without it, the Law and Jurisdiction will not hold up and fall apart in no time, but they are meant to stand strong. The constitution is the embodiment of fundamental regulations and principles according to which the country, state, and its people are supposed to work.

The constitution is something that sets the limits and boundaries of the governments’ interaction and powers. The Constitution works as a means by which the government as  a  rule knows as to what extent they can impose rules and regulations on the citizen of the country The  Constitution is a written instrument which serves as the embodiment of the rules of a political or social organization. These rules and regulations lay down the base of the nation so that it can run without any sort of issue or dispute and in case any problem occurs in the legal and governmental sectors or between the masses of the country and the judiciary, these provisions help the country to get through this phase where there is a regular threat of a civil war breakdown which is probably the last thing any country can have nightmares about.

The constitution forms the basic structure of any government . it lays down all the legal and cultural aspects under which its people and the governmental bodies will be governed . The executive, the legislature and the judiciary are the main organs of the government that the constitution establishes. These three are the source of stability of any country, and without them, the only thing that will rise is terror and corruption among the masses.

The Constitution put in practical terms the principles of separation of powers , checks and balance and rule of law . It defines the powers of each organ  of government and helps to regulate the relationship between the government and the people in such a manner that no one part can miss treat power in any way possible.

 A Constitution is superior to all the laws of the country which means any law or provision that is circulated in the nation is passed down by the constitution itself. Every law enacted by the government has to be in conventionality with the Constitution and this means that no one or no legal body will be able to speak upon the Constitution otherwise it will not maintain the strength and will fall and so will the nation.

The Constitution lays down the national goals of any country .

The constitution of a country guarantees the fundamental  rights of her citizens for example  the right  to life, personal liberty , dignity of human person , freedom of expression, movement and against discrimination, right to own property  etc .

From the above ,  it  is my humble submission that  the constitution of a country   can safely be said to  be her   dictionary ,  holy book,  compass , manual , guideline,   the yardstick or barometer with which good governance is measured  , the map, key  and or  if you will  the  essential  tool  for governance.  If  these  assertions are  true , then it will not be out of place to describe the citizen of a country  who has no  knowledge  or  idea of  his country’s constitution as  an  Ignoramus no matter the level of his education or exposure in life .

It is not in doubt that Nigerians are the most educated  immigrants in the United States with the highest educational  attainment rate. It is not in doubt that Nigerians are scattered all over the world studying and bagging degrees in all fields of human endeavours  in reputable institutions like Harvard , Oxford and Cambridge Universities. It is not in doubt that  Nigerians are  inventors , researchers , professors , lecturers, scientist , public servants ,  top technocrats and  captains of industries all over the world .

Back home,  like common  pure water we have  several Federal , State and Private universities, politechnics , college of education , technical  colleges and professional schools/ institutions churning out tons of graduates year in year out on ending  with bogus degrees in all human endeavours and fields of life .

The educational achievement and attainment of Nigerians notwithstanding,  I make bold to say that ninety nine point nine percent of the over  two hundred million Nigerian populace both at home and in diaspora are  not just ignorant but arrogantly  ignorant  of their country’s  constitution and as such are  qualified to be  described as ignoramus

 Just before you start feeling insulted,  I must let you know that I  was once  in the same ship with  you until I  jumped ship about a decade ago   when I  ventured into activism . Before then  I was a confirmed  Ignoramus ,   an arrogant one at that .

As a  child  from birth to when I attained my adulthood and   became independent of my parents ,  my parents never taught me or discussed anything pertaining  to the all important book called the Nigerian constitution. The  fact that  my parents loved me so much  and  

 wanted  the best for me , I find it hard to blame them for their  failure and/or negligence  to  introduce me to the Nigerian constitution just like they introduced me to church and the Bible  In retrospect,  I guess that they were either  ignorant of the importance of the country’s constitution or just being cautious because back then  it was military rule  in Nigeria when everything was determined by the barrel of the gun. No thanks to our past military governments headed by those who today  claim to be democrats and elderstatesmen enjoying  with their families  pension, staff and office expenses, medical care or health insurance, and Secret Service protection fully paid for by the Nigerian tax payers  who  ignorantly  praise and worship them .  These  clueless,  visionless ,and missionless, selfish and self centered men , know themselves and the  last time I checked  they are all members of the Nigerian Council of State pretending to be serving their father land  going about holding  meetings , advising , no preaching and writing love letters to the powers that  be  and  bearing  the unmerited and bogus  title  of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic .  These men and their juntas   suspended the Nigerian constitution , interfered  with governance , looted our treasury , abused the human rights of Nigerians and  manipulated the school curriculum in Nigeria  to produce ignoramus for over three decades so as to  perpetually  subjugate and enslave Nigerians .

At my ages one to eleven  which covers  my  entire nursery and primary school education  period , like millions, of other children of my generation who were fortunate to attend school at that early  stage in life  and  millions of  other children of my generation  who did not  have the opportunity  to attend nursery  and primary school ,  I was not  taught anything about the Nigerian constitution. The social studies that  we were taught then  if I may recall and the reciting  of the National anthem and pledge like parrots   did not help  to  prevent or stop the schools or society from  moulding us  into Ignoramus.

As a result of the above,   I  and many Nigerian children of my generation missed  the opening to learn about  our country’s constitution  and  our civic   responsibilities to our country    at  our  early stage of life which  formed  the bed rock of our being Ignoramus .

In my secondary school days , as a  new entrants at Isolo grammer  school , Isolo  , Lagos State ,  thanks to Alhaji Lateef Jakande, who provided me and many other children of my generation with free education  , we   lacked the rudiments  of what a constitution is and what the Nigerian constitution is all   about  due to the military government   mischeivous  and deliberate policies to ensure that  we were  in the dark. Our  school  curriculum did not  contain subjects  like   civic education, history  or government that is   to teach us about the Nigerian constitution from classes one to class three until class four when government was introduced to me    as a  subject  primarily  because I was an art student and also because government   was a compulsory subject for  me in the  West African Examination Council Examination . While studying   government as a subject , we were taught  amongst other things   the  constitutional development of  Nigeria  from the Lord Frederick Lugard  constitution of 1914 to the  1979 Nigerian constitution This knowledge as far as  my entire generation  was concerned was the exclusive preserve of those of us offering government as Art students . Thus ,  by implication   all those who are  science students aspiring to be medical doctors like the present  governor of Delta State, his predecessor in office,  lab technicians, engineers , architects  and many other scientist in government today were not given the opportunity to have an  idea of the constitutional development in Nigeria   let alone what the word  constitution  is all about 

After five years in secondary school  , I got admission to the Federal School of Arts and Science, Suleja , Niger State to   do  my Advance Level  Studies .   There I offered Government , Economics , Religious Studies and General paper for almost  two years  following which I passed out  as an advanced Ignoramus  .

My attending the then Bendel State University, Abraka Campus where I bagged a B S C /ED   in  Economics Education . My attending  the Rivers State University of Science and Technology , Port Harcourt  where I obtained a degree in law  and even   the Nigerian Law school where I was taught how to practice law ,  did not help to wash my ignorance away but instead I became more   arrogantly ignorant.  Even though  I claimed to be a learned gentleman , I  lacked the essential,   ingredient  to make me  a good citizen.  From my observation ,  it  appears that   without education  Nigerians  are merely ignorant and  sheepishly  recline  to fate while with education Nigerians  are cocky and arrogantly ignorant .  As a law student I never for one day opened  the Nigerian constitution  even  though I  had a copy which I commandeered from my old man’ s library   . I did not make use of  the constitution  , I   simply used it to decorate my book shelve . 

As a practicing lawyer  , I hardly referred to the Nigerian constitution . My ignorance continued until about ten years ago  when I took  keen interest in constitutional law and activism  and had no choice but to use  and apply  the Nigerian constitution often.

Using my  personal experience as as a case study  of my generation you can see  why  the vast majority of  us  educated and uneducated, literate and illiterate now   between the ages of fifty  to  sixty  who are supposed to be   at the helm of the  affairs of this great country,   no thanks  to our older generation who continue to rebrand , repackage and recycle  themselves to  sit tight  in Government are Ignoramus .

Today, my generation holds top positions in both the private and  public sectors of Nigeria . We are in the Nigerian Military,  Department of State Services, Police and other paramilitary organisations  .  We are  governors  , law makers , Pastors  imams, , traditional rulers, lawyers , judges,  professors ,  doctors , engineers and above all  fathers and senior members of our extended families and society  . In short my generation forms the lion share of  the elites, professionals, academicians and intellectuas in Nigeria today in charge of different levels of  responsibilities and I dare ask   without a good background of our country’s constitution what do you expect from my generation  ?  It so sad  and damning because my generation is the bridge between the older generation and the younger generation.

From the foregoing , little wonder why  today Nigeria is viewed as a theatre of absurdity .Little wonder why Nigeria is  likened to  a zoo . Little wonder why Nigeria is like a jungle where it is the survival of the fittest . Little wonder why Nigeria is like the stone age where  life is short , brutish and nasty .Little wonder  why the Nigerian elites , professionals, academicians and intellectuals are silent in the face of tyranny. Little wonder why Nigerians are  cowards , docile  and have apathy towards holding their governments at all levels accountable for good governance . Little wonder why Nigerians who study abroad and attended world class universities  come back home with   all their educational qualifications and exposure and   still behave like savages,  illiterates and uncivilised people  . Little wonder why Nigerian returnees fail to replicate their knowledge and experiences when they return home  .  Little wonder why Nigerians owe their alligeance to their President, governors , pastors , Imams, traditional rulers  and not to their country or constitution of their country 

It baffles  me to see  Nigerians living their lives without the constitution of their country in their affairs.  With this kind of  attitude  Nigerians can be likened to  a man operating a merchine without its manual , a builder building without a plan , a farmer going to farm without his tools , a doctor going to the operation theater without  surgical  equipment , a pilot or sailor   navigating  without  a compass and a christain  or  Moslem evangelizing or  preaching without knowledge of the  Bible or Quran  , a lawyer going to court 

to defend his client without law books , a judge delivering judgement without judicial authorities so on and so forth.

It is disturbing and shameful when I see very educated and highly placed Nigerians abandon the constitution of their country  for religion ,  morals , tradition , their whims and caprices  , common sense and logic .How do you explain our National Assembly , executive arm of government and its agencies  and  judiciary   refusing, failing  and or neglecting   to follow the dictates of the Nigerian constitution?.

The need for Nigerians to have knowledge of their country’s constitution cannot be over emphasised because it the only way that the Nigerian citizens can hold their governments accountable ,  fight for their rights .and live in peace, prosperity  and harmony with one another .

 If our  generation and our father’s generation are ignoramus must we allow our children and unborn generation to suffer the same fate ? To stop our children from becoming Ignoramus like us and our parents  we must speedily do the followings :

Ensure that the entire  educational curriculum of Nigerian schools  are overhauled  from Nursery to Tertiary level to teach our children  civic education  and the bases of  the  Nigerian constitution .

Nigerians in the entertainment world: Musicians , film producers, actors  can help out by ensuring  that their films and musics are patrotic and reflects the Nigerian constitution, with the view of educating their target audience.   

Parents at home can help  to teach their children about the Nigerian constitution and civic education . 

The Nigerian elites, intellectuals, academicians and professionals must live up to expectation to educate other Nigerians at the slightest opportunity or provocation on the Nigerian constitution. Write books, plays  and articles to help educate the masses .

The Nigerian government through her  ministry of information  and her various  agencies must carry out rigorous enlightenment  of the  Nigerian public on the Nigerian constitution . The Nigeria government should be able to distribute free copies of the Nigerian constitution or at least make it affordable .

The churches,  mosques and shrines also have a large role to play .

Granted that the Nigerian 1999 constitution is not a  peoples constitution . Granted that it is a  deceitful ,  fraudulent and dubious document. Granted that we the people did not we anything because it is a military decree  given to us by the Nigerian  military government  and their cohorts to cover  the track of their loots and atrocities  nevertheless it is all we have  got . We must  , learn it,  know it and understand it for us to change it. It is not enough like most Nigerians  often do , criticise and condemn the Nigerian constitution without even sighting  it let alone reading  or understanding it .

We need to act fast to remedy this ugly and unhealthy  situation  . We  must join hands  together to break our  generational curse of  ignoramus for a greater and brighter tomorrow for us , our  children and unborn generations whereas  ignoramus are not born but made .

Chief Malcolm Omirhobo  writes from Lagos

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