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By Madu Obi
Former Secretary-General of the Commonwealth, Chief Emeka Anyaoku,
has picked holes with the present Nigerian Constitution, saying that it lacked the impetus to address the challenges facing the country.
Anyaoku made the remark in his hometown, Obosi, Idemili North local government area of Anambra State during the "Ito Ogbo", a longevity festival and initiation for people who had attained the age of 80 years.
He listed poverty, insecurity, infrastructure breakdown, among others as some of the serious challenges facing in the country, which the constitution had failed to address.
According to him, the current constitution was a departure from the constitution that the nation's founding fathers negotiated and agreed to.
He said: "These challenges cannot be effectively addressed under the current constitution and the system we have at the moment.
"For a pluralistic state as Nigeria, we have to return to the principles of the constitution agreed by our founding fathers."
"Until we do that, I am afraid that we can not effectively deal with the challenges that face the nation."
He also condemned the Monday sit-at-home in the South-East, arguing that the exercise was doing a great damage to the region's economy.
He added: "I do not support the idea, I think it is doing great damage to the economy. We have to deal with the root cause of sit-at-home, which is the continued detention of Nnamdi Kanu.
"I think that the cause of the sit-at-home should be addressed, I do not think that the sit-at-home should be maintained, it should be stopped."
Addressing the people, the Anambra State governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, suggested possible ways the federal government could make the "Ito-Ogbo" ceremony a national festival.
Soludo said: "This is the first time I have come to Ito-ogbo ceremony of Obosi; we want to celebrate, thank Obosi people for giving Anambra, Nigeria and the world a celebration of longevity.
"Let the world learn how to celebrate with the living and not the dead. Obosi is one ward that is more than a local government. It deserves to be a local government."
"The celebration is part of the burial law in Anambra. It is better to slaughter a cow for the living than for the dead. I urge the youths to desire to be 80 years and above.
"Live a decent, responsible life style to be able to live up to 80 years. But killers, touts and others will not live up to 80 years".
The traditional ruler of Obosi, His Royal Highness, Igwe Chidubem Iweka, described the festival as an age- long cultural heritage of the people of Obosi, adding that about 200 octogenarians were initiated into the Ogbueshi society
through the "Ito Ogbo".
"Those initiated have been exempted from all manner of taxations/levies and my prayer is that all who attended this ceremony will attain 80 years and above," the Royal Father said.
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