Oshiomhole wants constitution to address indigene-settler dichotomy

By SIMON EBEGBULEM

BENIN—AHEAD of the proposed amendment of the 1999 constitution by the National Assembly, Governor Adams Oshiomhole of Edo State, weekend, declared that Nigeria needed a constitution that will protect the rights of the people to live in any part of the country.

Oshiomhole, who stated this during an interactive session with members of the House of Representatives from the state and Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN, caucus leaders at Government House, Benin City,  said the indigene-settler dichotomy which divides the people should be adequately addressed.

He said:  “Edo people are energetic and enterprising and reside in all parts of the country. We should, therefore, work out a constitution that removes discrimination in all guises so that people are free to live and thrive wherever they choose to live in. People cannot continue to be strangers in a place they choose to live and settle in. I want my children to inherit a nation united on a purpose and not on a configuration of ethnic divide.”

He urged the lawmakers, as representatives of the people, to be more reflective on the issue so as to arrive at decisions that will serve the interests of the  people and safeguard their welfare and well-being.

He urged the National Assembly to grab the opportunity of the ongoing efforts to amend the 1999 constitution to ensure the outcome was geared towards building a nation where every citizen had a stake and benefited from the rights and privileges available to all free people.