Dare Babalola
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Jibrin Okutepa, has criticised Nigeria’s leadership structure, accusing public office holders of prioritising politics and ethical debates over genuine governance and constitutional responsibilities.
In a Monday statement, Okutepa said the country’s worsening governance and security challenges stem from what he described as persistent disregard for the 1999 Constitution, particularly Sections 13 and 14, which clearly define the duties of government and its organs.
He noted that Section 13 places an obligation on all arms of government—legislative, executive, and judicial—to observe and apply the provisions of the Constitution, while Section 14 establishes that Nigeria is founded on democracy and social justice, with the security and welfare of citizens as the primary purpose of government.
According to him, many of the challenges facing the country, including insecurity, nepotism, sectionalism, and lopsided appointments, are direct consequences of what he called “insubordination to the letter and spirit of the Constitution,” adding that the absence of sanctions has worsened the situation.
Okutepa further argued that calls for constitutional amendments are largely a reflection of failure to obey existing laws rather than deficiencies in the constitutional framework itself.
He also criticised the performance of the legislature, alleging that many parliamentary bodies at both federal and state levels have lost independence and now function in alignment with the executive, rather than serving as effective checks on it.
“Most State Houses of Assembly are only effective as instruments of political vendetta against perceived enemies of godfathers,” he said, adding that executive dominance has weakened accountability mechanisms across the country.
The legal practitioner lamented what he described as the absence of people-oriented governance, stressing that government policies and programmes are often not aligned with economic and national development objectives.
He concluded that Nigeria requires a fundamental reset in governance philosophy, insisting that “government needs to be born again” if peace, accountability, and effective leadership are to be achieved in the country.
