A civil rights activist and social critic, Sen. Shehu Sani, says the nation has always dodged real issues affecting development in each constitutional amendment process.
Sani said this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Sunday in Lagos.
He said that real development issues had not always been considered because of interests of political leaders.
The senator, who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th National Assembly, said that the ongoing constitutional amendment process by the National Assembly must bring reforms that would bequeath a prosperous Nigeria to future generations.
He said that important issues like power devolution and reform of the electoral system should be given consideration , if Nigeria must move forward .
“Since 1999, the National Assembly has been inaugurating committees to amend the constitution of Nigeria, but the problem has been that the issues that are supposed to be amended are not amended because of interests.
“Each time, we have this committee set up, the committee is inaugurated in good time ,but the recommendations are hardly implemented.
“Take for example, electoral reform, no President in Nigeria wants to reform an electoral system that will take him out of power,” Sani said.
He urged those in positions of authority to know that power is transient, and urge them to ensure genuine reforms for future generations.
”Power is transient, if you think you are in position of authority today, and you have all the power to exercise, think of what happens to you tomorrow.
“So, if you are in power, you should think of implementing reforms and vision that will help generations after you,” the activist said.
