The House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Amendment has received the backing of Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) in the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

At a meeting with the committee headed by Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu in Abuja on Wednesday, the governors said they would “actively engage in shaping amendments that strengthened Nigeria’s Constitution.”

Kalu emphasised the importance of collaboration between the governors and the committee and said they had received 161 proposals for amendments to the Constitution.

The NGF headed by Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said the House Committee proposed “the establishment of a ‘one-stop shop’ framework to align state-level priorities with the constitutional review process”.

In a communiqué at the end of the meeting read by Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani, the NGF said: “Governors pledged their support for the initiative and reaffirmed their commitment to actively engage in shaping amendments that strengthened Nigeria’s Constitution.

“The forum engaged with the Minister of Education (Tunji Alausa) on strategies to reposition the education system for improved outcomes.

“The minister provided an overview of the challenges, including out-of-school children and high rates of learning poverty, particularly in the North East and North West.

“Key proposals discussed include strengthening collaboration between federal and state governments, improving the quality of girl child education, integrating vocational training, and leveraging data and technology to enhance education management systems.

Governors reaffirmed their commitment to collaborate with the Federal Government and development partners to address these challenges and align efforts towards achieving SDG4.”

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Kalu said the committee received over 161 areas of amendment to the Constitution.