ROLE OF THE NATIONAL ASSEMBLY IN THE RESTRUCTURING CONUNDRUM: AN APPRAISAL

Abstract

This paper is predicated on the assumption that most Nigerians are generally in agreement on the fact that the present governance system is not working as it should, due largely to the way it is structured and run and therefore should be restructured to get it working again. However, controversy exists as to the way forward and this is on the questions as to the implication of structuring, who does the restructuring and how, vis a vis the role the National Assembly. It is argued in this paper, that despite its obvious wide powers to alter any section of the constitution, the National Assembly is not in a position to achieve the desired restructuring due to the existing incurable democratic deficit or virus with which the 1999 constitution is associated. This is coupled with the existential political realities around the capacity of members of the National Assembly to deliver on this mandate. It is concluded, that the desired democratically restructured federal constitution for Nigeria that can take care of the existential plurality problems, as against a tokenistic constitutional amendment is beyond the capacity of the National Assembly and can only be realistically achieved through a broad based national constitutional confab (howsoever described) convened for that purpose and the result approved at a referendum.