Senator Henry Seriake Dickson, representing Bayelsa West, on Tuesday called for an end to “flagrant breaches” of the principles of federal character which are in the Constitution. He said the breaches were divisive and violated the Constitution.

He made the remarks while supporting the motion by Senator Sunday Ngwu from Enugu State for the Senate to investigate how ministries and different government agencies were implementing the provisions.

“The founding fathers of this country knew that Nigeria is a nation of nationalities and that there was a need to entrench an in-built constitutional mechanism for ensuring inclusiveness to give everybody a fair chance and a sense of belonging. That was why they invented the concept of Federal Character, providing that no part of the administration of the Federal Republic should be done in a way that will have a preponderance of people from one group, one tribe and one religion,” Senator Dickson said.

According to him, “The framers also established a Code of Conduct Bureau and Tribunal where violators can be tried for abuse of office. But over the years, successive operators have breached these provisions with impunity, giving opportunities only to people from their States, their local governments, their language, religion, and so on; creating unnecessary tensions and a loss of loyalty. It creates disenchantment and reduces patriotism. It makes people doubt whether the country is for them or for a few, and that has to stop. The President is the head of the Executive arm in a presidential system; he is a lot of things in one”.


https://independent.ng/sen-dickson-calls-for-end-to-federal-character-breaches/