A Professor of Jurisprudence and International Law in the Faculty of Law, University of Ibadan, Oyo State, Professor John Akintayo, has called for the rewriting of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in simple and plain English.
Professor Akintayo made the call in an Inaugural Lecture, titled “The Lawful Use of Law” at the University of Ibadan.
He advised that the constitutional document should be examined periodically by a body of technical experts in the broader context of social justice to ensure its continued relevance and to ensure that it continued to inspire confidence in the people .
Professor Akintayo noted that once people lose trust in the constitution, it is almost impossible to regain it, saying the issue of justice permeated all types of adjudication.
He remarked that the legislature must draw inspiration from the spirit of the constitution to advance justice by enacting laws that would improve the welfare of the populace.
Professor Akintayo affirmed that judges and lawyers who are custodians and dispensers of justice must be conscious of their enormous responsibilities to preserve, defend, and protect the law and their sacred duty to dignify it by clothing it with justice at all times.
