Nigeria’s immediate past High Commissioner to the United Kingdom, Ambassador Sarafa Tunji Isola has called for a concerted effort at all levels of government in tackling illiteracy and poverty in the country.
The Ogun State 2027 gubernatorial hopeful made the call in Abeokuta on Thursday, 31st July, 2025, while speaking at the 7th anniversary lecture of Penpushing Media Limited, held at Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library (OOPL).
He said “Democracy in Nigeria will continue to face challenges until the issues of illiteracy and poverty are adequately addressed.”
Ambassador Isola was the Chairman of the event which had “Reworking Nigeria’s Federalism: Perspectives on Restructuring and Fiscal Federalism” as its theme.
The former Minister of Mines and Steel Development also made case for a more comprehensive approach that will address the underlying issues hindering the effective functioning of Nigeria’s federal system.
He therefore urged Nigerians not to view restructuring as a sectional agenda as it is in the overall interest of the country.
One area he would want particular emphasis placed upon is local government administration.
He emphasized the need for a functional local government administration, saying that
in the past, local governments were more impactful through their Public Works Departments (PWD).
Isola was an elected local government Chairman in Abeokuta North Local Government Area and also served as chairman of the Conference of Local Government Council Chairmen in Ogun State.
In her keynote lecture, a former Minister of Education, Dr. Oby Ezekwesili, stated that what the nation needs is a new constitution that will reflect the nation’s diversity, not amendments as currently being undertaken.
Speaking on the theme, “Reworking Nigeria’s Federalism: Perspectives on Restructuring and Fiscal Federalism”, Ezekwesili noted that for Nigeria to attain its fullest potential, a people’s constitution that will help address all the imbalances and the inequalities that defined the current constitution is needed.
She faulted the National Assembly over its efforts on the ongoing constitutional amendment, describing it as a charade and a conduit pipe to waste public funds.
According to her, such efforts will do little or nothing to help address the need to restructure the country along the practice of true federalism.
“The ongoing constitutional amendment cannot work, it cannot address our problem, it is a charade and sheer waste of resources. The demand for a new constitution is a matter of life and death
“For instance, when the engineer tells us that the foundation of a building is structurally defective, is it not to take the whole building down because it will continue to constitute an endangerment to the people.
“You won’t say, Oga, can we just do some little adjustment to the building, no, it won’t work, and this is same with nation building. So this expensive charade that the National Assembly is embarking on and spending money on won’t take us anywhere.
“The media should take the front seat and be at the vanguard of a demand for new constitution. We must have a constitutional conference that enables the people of this country to have honest conversation around things that will make us make progress and make Nigeria work for all of us.
“If there is anything that will come out of this annual lecture it must be that the media should be at the vanguard of a push for a constitutional conference, one that will enable the constituent part of this country, a constituent assembly elected by the people, they go, they sit, they have the discussion on the basis of the issues that makes fiscal federal system of government to work and come out with issues that are eligible for constitution which is put before the people to vote in form of referendum.”
