Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, Mathew Hassan Kukah has blamed the drafters of the Nigerian Constitution for the seemingly unabating insecurity in the Country.

This was the crux of his message delivered at the This Day inaugural lecture with the theme, ‘National Cohesion for Sustainable Growth and Progress: The Nigeria Dilemma', which held I'm Abuja on Wednesday.

He said the obvious lapses in the 1999 Constitution is to be blamed for the Country’s lack of cohesion in all the facets of Nigeria's national life.

"Something as fundamental as a Constitution, the debate and the issues that ought to form the kernel of our governance have never been subjected to the intellectual rigour that is required. 

"The result is that we have never debated our Constitution based on the peculiarities, the cultural expectations, the hopes, the anxieties, the fears of ordinary Nigerians,” Kukah stated.

Bishop Kukah argued that the Country may not be fixed until all religious and ethnic differences are sorted out constitutionally.

At the same event, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, charged the media to exert pressure on the President to assent to the amended Electoral Act.

Governor Wike argued that it is important the media enlightens Nigerians on the importance of electronic transmission of election results, in order to save the Country's nascent democracy.

The Governor dropped this hint after he was conferred with the “Gold Prize for Exceptional Leadership,” at the event. He said the importance of the Electoral Act amendment to the survival of the Nation’s democracy can never be over-emphasised. 

He described the media as the watchdog of the society. He also said the Nigerian Media should take it upon itself to enlighten Nigerians on the merits and demerits of both direct and indirect primaries.

“Who are those to benefit more if the direct primaries are conducted. Who are those to benefit more if it is indirect primaries. So, it is important that Nigerians should know why there should be electronic transmission of results in order to save our democracy,” the Governor said.

The Governor said Nigerians might as well bid farewell to good governance except those in positions of authority can become accountable to the people. He said this can only be achieved through free and fair elections. 

He said any electoral system that permits Security Agencies to be used to rigg elections and for a supposed Independent electoral Commission to be manipulated, will lead to nothing but disaster. 

Governor Wike however commended the INEC for what he described as a successful conduct of the just concluded Anambra State governorship elections.

He said: “Now, they have performed well in Anambra State, everybody is praising them. But when they did not perform well in Rivers State, should we praise them? We cannot. When a General in the Army will convert a whole division to INEC office, will you be happy?”

Wike also called on all Nigerians to de-emphasize primordial affiliations for the general interest of the Country.

“There is the need for all of us to still believe that this country must be united. But, if we want to move forward, we must drop the issue of where you come from. We must drop the issue of where you worship. Overemphasis of these things causes a lot of disintegration and which is not the best for us,” Wike stated.

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