By Abdullahi Mukhtar Algasgaini
The Afenifere Group in the United Kingdom and Europe (UK Afenifere) has demanded Nigeria scrap its current constitution entirely and adopt a new one founded on “true federalism,” declaring the National Assembly’s ongoing amendment process ineffective.Issuing the call via a statement from Secretary Engr.
Anthony Ajayi on Wednesday, the group timed its intervention as lawmakers approach a December 2025 deadline for reviewing proposed changes.
While the National Assembly considers bills on state creation, electoral reform, judiciary overhaul, local government autonomy, and security restructuring – including state police – UK Afenifere insists these piecemeal amendments are insufficient.
The group contends the 1999 Constitution itself is the fundamental problem, calling it “unitary” and the root cause of Nigeria’s stagnation, corruption, insecurity, and poor governance.
“Since the adoption of the 1999 Constitution, Nigeria has not made meaningful progress… the country is already in a state of quagmire,” the statement asserted, blaming the document for enabling politicians to “perpetrate evil against the people… unabated.”
UK Afenifere argued that Nigeria urgently requires “a new constitution for her people” that prioritizes citizens’ interests over politicians’, rather than continued amendments which they claim have “no direct positive impact.”
They cited the historical achievements of the old Western Region under Chief Obafemi Awolowo as proof of concept for true federalism.
Funded by regional agriculture and mining revenues – while still contributing 50% to the federation – the region delivered free education for over 800,000 pupils, major infrastructure, farm settlements, industrial estates, Africa’s first TV station, and Nigeria’s tallest building at the time, “without oil money.”
The group aligned its stance with prominent figures like former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, Prof. Wole Soyinka, and Pa Reuben Fasoranti, who have consistently traced Nigeria’s deep-seated challenges – including systemic insecurity, mass unemployment, poor public services, weak institutions, and economic centralization – back to the flawed 1999 Constitution.
They echoed analyst Olawale Okunniyi’s critique that the military-era constitution, enacted without broad consultation, fails to reflect Nigeria’s pluralistic realities.
Declaring true federalism the “appropriate governmental principle” for Nigeria’s diversity, UK Afenifere urged all Nigerians to demand a new foundational document.
“We cannot continue to patronise practices that weigh on our development, weaken our potentials and mock our collective sensibilities,” the statement concluded, invoking the federal principles championed by founding fathers like Awolowo, Nnamdi Azikiwe, and Tafawa Balewa.
This call significantly intensifies the debate as the National Assembly’s review process enters its final phase.