In the US, by stare decisis we have the constitutional principle of judicial review. In Nigeria, it is the Constitution that once again is being reviewed -- by the Senate.
There are many people in Nigeria who argue that the 1994 constitution was undemocratically imposed on the country by military and political leaders. Critics argue that it's illegitimate and flawed. The reasons for dissatisfaction vary widely, but the coalition of reformers has enough clout to "study the problem" nearly every year.
So far, efforts at constitutional reform have stalled because of political differences among the constitution's critics.The newspaper Leadership in Abuja reported on the latest review.
The billion Naria budget for the study would be about $120,000 US.
Review the Nigerian Constitution here. Notice its Federal system, with provisions for Sharia State Court law.
1 comment:
The Nigerian Constitution is okay, but it definitely needs some work. It has a lot of very vague phrases, such as binding the government to humane actions, and saying nobody can serve in the national assembly who "is a member of a secret society" or "has been judged a lunatic." The system of revising the constution is no different from what would happen here: Congress takes a look at it first. It's just unfortunate the Nigerian Constitution has so many legitimacy problems. I think they have the right idea, they just need to work on enforcing it.
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