Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili has dismissed the ongoing constitutional amendment by the National Assembly as “a charade” and “a dangerous waste of public funds,” warning that Nigeria’s future depends on adopting a people-led constitution, not patching up a faulty one.
Speaking in Abeokuta on Wednesday at the 7th Penpushing Media annual lecture, the former Minister of Education accused Nigeria’s political elite of treating the country like a private estate.
“The current process is a charade. It will not fix the structural collapse this country is suffering from,” she said. “You don’t renovate a building with a cracked foundation. You pull it down and build properly.”
Ezekwesili, who now leads Human Capital Africa, delivered her keynote address on the topic Reworking Nigeria’s Federalism: Perspectives on Restructuring and Fiscal Federalism. She argued that only a brand new constitution reflecting fairness, equity and power devolution can address Nigeria’s deepening insecurity, poverty, and regional agitations.
According to her, “What we have is not democracy. It’s a criminal enterprise. A gang has hijacked politics and is slicing governance like cake, sharing it among themselves. The rest of us are left watching.”
She challenged the media to stop playing safe and instead lead the charge for a new constitutional order.
“If there’s one takeaway from this event, it should be that journalists must demand a people-led constitutional conference,” she said. “Let us elect delegates to sit, discuss openly, and produce a document that truly belongs to Nigerians. Then let the people vote on it through a referendum. That’s how you build a real nation.”
Drawing comparisons, she referenced Kenya’s own post-crisis reforms.
“When Kenya almost collapsed, they chose the path of truth. They didn’t patch a broken system. They rewrote their constitution. Since then, no one talks about secession over there.”
Also at the event, Nigeria’s former High Commissioner to the UK, Sarafadeen Ishola, backed the call for federal reform. He described Nigeria’s federalism as “federal in name only” and said the present structure suffocates development and discourages responsibility.
“True federalism goes beyond sharing power. It’s about accountable leadership, fiscal equity and citizen participation,” Ishola said. “We must stop seeing restructuring as a regional agenda. It’s a national rescue mission.”
The founder of Penpushing Media, Dimeji Kayode-Adedeji, said the organisation remains committed to elevating public discourse through its journalism and advocacy.
“We believe in using media to push ideas that move Nigeria forward. Our work is about solutions, not noise,” he said.
Other speakers included former presidential spokesman Femi Adesina and veteran journalist Deaconess Funke Fadugba. They echoed the call for the media to resist distractions and refocus national attention on core issues like governance and constitutional clarity.
Ezekwesili closed her address with a warning: “We can’t fake it anymore. Until we fix this foundation, Nigeria will keep going in circles.”
