Prince Adewole Adebayo has proposed a fundamental shift in the way Nigeria is governed, declaring that the often-overlooked Chapter II of the 1999 Constitution should become the operating compass for government policies, budgets and programmes.
Adebayo made the proposal in his 2027–2031 governance blueprint, ‘Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity’, where he places the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy at the centre of his proposed administration.
According to the blueprint, Chapter II would no longer be treated as ornamental constitutional language but as an operational mandate for government.
The document states that policies, plans, programmes, projects, budgets and institutional reforms under an Adebayo presidency would be designed to advance the security and welfare of Nigerians, democracy and social justice, national integration, balanced economic development, human dignity, equal opportunity, education, environmental protection and accountable government.
The SDP presidential candidate argues that government performance should not be measured by the number of projects announced or commissioned, but by what Nigerians actually experience in their daily lives.
Security, food, healthcare, education, housing, employment, water, energy, transportation, justice and digital access, he says, should become practical indicators for judging whether government is succeeding.
Under the proposal, Ministries, Departments and Agencies would be required to identify the specific constitutional objectives their major programmes are designed to advance and report measurable outcomes.
The blueprint links this approach to a broader philosophy of results-based governance, insisting that public expenditure must have a clear connection to constitutional purpose and citizen welfare.
The proposal is anchored on Section 13 of the Constitution, which requires all organs and authorities exercising legislative, executive or judicial powers to conform to, observe and apply Chapter II.
Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity further identifies the security and welfare of the people as the primary purpose of government, alongside national integration, social justice, economic self-reliance, human dignity, education, environmental protection and accountability.
Adebayo’s argument, therefore, is not simply for another policy document. It is for a different yardstick for measuring government.
In the blueprint’s formulation, the ultimate question is whether government action makes Nigerians safer, healthier, more productive and more economically secure.
The proposal effectively places constitutional obligations at the heart of the 2027–2031 political conversation—and challenges Nigerians to judge any future government not by its promises, but by measurable improvements in their lives.
Never miss a moment! Get the stories shaping Nigeria, delivered straight to your phone. Follow Peoplesdaily Newspaper on WhatsApp for breaking news, exclusive reports, and the headlines everyone will be talking about, before anyone else.
