Former Postmaster-General of the Nigeria Postal Service, Bisi Adegbuyi, has raised concerns about the outdated nature of many laws governing the operations of ministries, departments, and agencies in Nigeria, stating that 90% of those laws were obsolete and in need of urgent reform.
In an interview with Saturday PUNCH, Adegbuyi emphasised the need to overhaul the laws to align with modern-day realities, particularly in the face of rapid technological advancements.
According to him, the outdated legal framework hampers the effective operation of MDAs and their ability to drive national development.
“Ninety-per cent of our MDA’s laws are obsolete. These laws need reform to reflect the technological advancements happening around the world. The key to this reform lies in a major constitutional amendment. Once that is achieved, we can focus on specific MDAs and align them with the current needs of the nation,” he said.
Adegbuyi also stressed the importance of aligning the priorities of all MDAs with the national challenges of hunger, poverty, and insecurity.
He called on the government to leverage emerging technologies, especially geolocation and digital addressing technologies, to tackle these issues in line with global best practices.
“It is impossible to effectively deliver telemedicine or primary health care services remotely without geolocation and addressing technologies. These are critical in sectors like agriculture, poverty reduction, and healthcare delivery.
“By using technology, we can create more efficient systems to combat hunger, poverty, and insecurity and transform Nigeria into an economic and agricultural powerhouse,” Adegbuyi explained.
The former Postmaster-General also emphasised that, by adopting technology and aligning policies with current global standards, Nigeria could overcome its biggest challenges and enhance the well-being of its citizens.
Meanwhile, the Chancellor of the International Social Justice and Human Rights Group, Jackson Omenazu, has called for a complete overhaul of Nigeria’s constitution through a national conference.
Omenazu, in an interview with Saturday PUNCH, emphasised that no amount of piecemeal constitutional amendments would fully address the aspirations of Nigerians, stressing that only a comprehensive revision through a national conference could bring about the necessary changes.
Leave a Reply