By Bisi Oladele, Ibadan
A CHIEFTAIN of Afenifere, Mr. Ayo Opadokun, has insisted that Nigeria must return to the 1963 Constitution in addition to rotating the presidency to the south in 2023.
Opadokun made the assertion in an interview with reporters after making a presentation at the 2021 national civil leadership summit organised by the Nigerian Baptist Convention at BOWEN University, Iwo.
The Secretary-General of the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) said as lofty as rotating presidency to southern Nigeria in 2023 is, returning to the 1963 Constitution will give the country a better leverage to move towards attaining its goal as a nation, promoting inclusiveness and true federalism at large.
He said: “Returning the presidency to southern Nigeria in 2023 is good in itself. But as far as people like us are concerned, we must return to the 1963 Constitution.”
Speaking on the topic, “Leadership and Integrity,” Opadokun posited that there was a dearth of credible leaders in Nigeria today because the value of integrity has disappeared from the Nigerian society. He said everything is possible in Nigeria of today.
The Afenifere chieftain explained that in the political circle, some leaders lack integrity because they rely solely on government for survival, which makes them jump from one party to another and do shameless things to be in any government at all times.
On the way out of the situation, the erudite lawyer advised young citizens to take their destiny in their hands by organising themselves and making leaders accountable.
His words: “For all intent and purposes, we probably don’t have more than three per cent of leaders with integrity in Nigeria today. And there are too many examples among them to show that they have deficit of integrity. What they are busy doing is just self and self, not service to the ordinary people, who they claim to be serving. Politics is supposed to be a very serious matter, serious business because the destiny of humanity is involved in it. But it is not so in Nigeria. Some people live on government from cradle to grave. So, they must be in government at all times and at all costs. That’s why there is no honour or integrity.
“It will take very determined efforts of the civil populace to want to change course by not remaining subservient to politicians in military uniform who have held us down as a country. What they have done is to destroy our hopes and aspirations. And they are not looking back. And no one will ever give you your right, you have to take it.
“So, we have to work for it. Young Nigerians particularly must take their destiny in their hands. It needs them to be active, to mobilise themselves in their streets, communities, towns and even organise the entire country for them to resist the insanity that is going on.
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