Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Femi Falana, has criticised the current political class over its ideology in governance, saying that politicians failed to make the best of Nigeria’s independence.

Falana, a human rights lawyer, stated this on Wednesday during an interview on Channels Television’s special broadcast to celebrate Nigeria’s 65th independence anniversary.

He, however, said the British gave Nigeria what it described as flag independence in 1960, with the colonial structure left intact.

According to Falana, the politicians now lacked ideology and saw political power as a vehicle for acquiring power rather than serving the people.

“The politicians at the time in the first republic, even in the second republic, the political parties that were set up were ideological. They knew what they wanted and were competing among themselves,” he stated.

“The political parties were not seen as vehicles for acquiring power. They were acquiring power with responsibilities. By 1960, what did the British colonial regime hand over to Nigeria?

“It is what I call flag independence. The colonial structure was left largely intact. The first set of politicians didn’t make the best of it before the system collapsed,” he said.

Falana recalled how the Murtala Mohammed regime collapsed the parliamentary system for the American-modelled presidential system of government.

“Chief Rotimi Williams was the head of the Constitution Review Committee, the late Professor Ben Nwabueze, many of them were in the constitution drafting committee, and 47 of them agreed to go the American way without the political culture of America,” he added. (CHANNELS)