Prof. Toyin Falola’s Case for Restructuring Morality

Prof. Toyin Falola Interview with Laolu Akande (Inside Source) of Channels TV on Aug. 16 2024,

Laolu Akande: Coming back to the issue of our governance recently, Chief Emeka Anyaoku led a delegation of the Patriots Club and what that association has been known for is essentially speaking up on the major issues of the day, especially in terms of governance, structure, and all of that, so they met the president and suggested that it would be important to have a constituent assembly where people are elected to in their own right, where they would build, write up a constitution and secondly that such you know a draft constitution should be subjected to a referendum. Prof, what do you think about that?

Prof Falola: Well, I am on their list, we have a WhatsApp, and I am on the WhatsApp list of the Patriots. As senior citizens, we owe them our support and gratitude. What is the fundamental question first to the Afenifere and the Oodua People’s Congress, the issues around the constitution and restructuring, I can understand where they are coming from, but there is a footnote to that. 

I know you are a Christian which is why I want to use this analogy, The Ten Commandments. I can’t give you the Ten Commandments but you can write your number 11, (which is) “my wish shall be made,” all those ten are already gone, because the constitution by itself as you can find …

The American constitution is so small, you can put it in your pocket which is interpreted and re-interpreted. The constitution as a document cannot speak to a variety of issues, for centuries before Christ. Africans govern themselves without those written constitutions on two fundamental premises that you cannot write into any constitution shame and guilt. Fundamental interrelated, interlocked values, shame is when you are caught doing something that you are not expected to do as per your age and that shame is so strong that you can commit suicide or that shame is so strong that you pack your luggage and leave your town, that is how to balance interpersonal relationship. 

When I explain the mission of Jesus Christ to people, I frame it in legalistic terms because he witnessed the application of the law of Moses based on regulations and the understanding of God in the concept of punishment. He made a fundamental statement, “why don’t you love thy neighbor as thyself,” because even love your neighbor as thyself, that minimizes the policing of yourself. Of your neighbor, it’s not saying that there shouldn’t be a constitution but it’s saying why don’t you go beyond that, and that connects to how values under-guard whatever you call a constitution. 

The other fundamental in African history for centuries is guilt, shame they saw you, they caught you, guilt you got away for free, you broke the commandment, nobody caught you, but the traditional values, the religious principles, Orisa worship, eldertocracy, they feed into you, powerful sanctions with that guilt, that guilt is far more compelling than throwing you into prison for three years because it has destroyed the very fabric of your soul, it has damaged the essence, the very essence of your individuality. 

Those are not constitutional issues, and to those who are calling for restructuring, have you ever heard them one day talking about the restructuring morality. 

They are talking about restructuring the boundaries of state, transfer of power. Restructure, the Yoruba become a state unto themselves. What about their thieves? What about the Yoruba thieves? And the Yoruba criminals and crooks? Are you restructuring them? 

If you don’t restructure values, and morality, just giving us a new constitution will not make you less corrupt, giving us a new constitution will not give you values, but creating a new constitution will not give you the cultural platform to transform a nation. Is it just talking about let’s have six people, vice president, let the state, the state transfer some of the responsibilities of the federal to the states, let’s have state police. 

How will that transform you? 

It will let you manage yourself, I can understand the argument, but the very problems that we are dealing with now can be reproduced multiple times, it is not the federal government that steals the allocation of the Abia state government, it is not the Fulani that people abuse everyday that spend allocation of Oyo state government in Ibadan, it is not the Hausa people that unbalances the budgets of Ekiti state, it is the Yoruba people 

And once you restructure as we’ve argued time and over again that each sector will now develop at is own pace, but it is not going to solve the fundamental values to  transform a nation and that is what we refuse to talk about.

Laolu Akande: Thank you so much Prof, it’s the limitation of time but your contributions are very unique, not that I am surprised, but it sets someone thinking. We hope and pray that as we are restructuring, the governance structure, we can also restructure moral values.