by Omoleye Omoruyi
Former Osun State governor, Chief Bisi Akande, has blamed the current economic recession and poverty in Nigeria on the failure of the 1999 Nigerian constitution.
Speaking in Iwo Town, Osun State, at the weekend, the former Acting Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), lamented that the 1999 constitution is the chief cause of soci0-economic inequality in Nigeria.
He added that the constitution stimulated demands for ethnic self- determination and economic security otherwise known as resource control or restructuring.
Akande said the constitution allowed only a few people to benefit from the national wealth, while majority continue to suffer poverty, penury and deprivation.
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“What we are saying, for instance, is that the constitution, which (according to 1999 census) gave Lagos State with 5,725,153 population 20 local governments, also gave Kano State with 5,810,494 population 44 local governments.
“Such constitutional provisions seem capable of denying the federating components of Nigeria equal opportunities for accessing the national revenue allocations; hence the agitation for restructuring and resource control.
“Such agitations may not be healthy for community harmony, national security, peace and economic development”, he said.
