The Senate has concluded two-day zonal public hearings on the review of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). The Public hearings, which took place on July 4 and actually held in five out of the six geo-political zones of the country.
That of the North West, scheduled to hold in Kano was postponed in honour of elder statesman and businessman, Alhaji Aminu Dantata, who passed away last week.
The Deputy President of the Senate and chairman, Senate Committee on Constitution Review, Senator Barau Jibrin, was in Saudi Arabia for the burial rights of the late business mogul, so the hearing for the zone will be held on a later date For the North-Central, the zonal hearing held in Jos, Plateau State; North-East, Maiduguri, Borno State; South-East, Enugu, Enugu State; South-West, Ikeja, Lagos State and South-South, Ikot-Ekpene, Akwa-Ibom State.
The zonal public hearing was aimed at subjecting proposals for the creation of 18 additional local governments, establishment of state police and reform of the electoral system, among others, to public discourse.
The Leader of the Senate and Chairman, SouthWest Zone, Constitution Review Committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, who reeled out the programmes for the two-day zonal public hearing, noted that the forum will provide Nigerians the opportunity to contribute to critical issues affecting the country’s governance structure.
The 10th Senate had constituted the Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution on February 14, 2024. The 45-man committee is headed by the Deputy President of the Senate, Jibrin, while the Leader of the Senate, Bamidele is the vice chairman.
The committee, afterwards, received diverse proposals on inclusive reforms, institutional reforms, security and policing, fundamental rights and objectives, system and structure of government, reform of the judiciary, roles of traditional institutions in government, reform of local governments and electoral reforms, among others.
One of the proposals, according to Bamidele is the bill seeking to alter the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of state police or other state government security agencies.
The bill sought to alter the 1999 Constitution to establish the State Security Council to advise governors on matters relating to public security and safety among the federating units.
The zonal hearing also considered another bill, which seeks to transfer labour, industrial relations, industrial disputes and minimum wage from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List in the constitution.
According to Bamidele, “there is a proposed bill to transfer control of interstate waterways from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, thereby granting both the federal and state governments the power to legislate on matters relating to shipping and navigation on interstate waterways.”
He added: “There is a proposal to ensure that every local government in each state has at least one member representing the local government in the House of Assembly to ensure equity, fairness and attract democratic dividends to inhabitants of each local government of the State.”
Under electoral reforms, Bamidele cited different proposals seeking independent candidature for qualified citizens to elective positions and diaspora voting for Nigerians living outside the country.
He also listed requests for consequential reforms of the country’s fiscal environment, which in the main, sought a timeframe within which the president or governor shall lay the appropriation bill before the National Assembly or state House of Assembly.
Bamidele also cited a proposal seeking to reposition political parties to resolve every pre-election dispute internally without recourse to the court.
While there are 18 requests for the creation of local government areas nationwide, Bamidele said the committee had actually received 32 proposals for the creation of additional states – six from North-West, eight from North Central, five from South-East, six from NorthEast, six from South-South and four from South-West.
Previous amendments
The Senate, during the zonal hearing in Lagos, observed that previous amendments did not resolve several fundamental questions of governance affecting Nigeria.
The Red Chamber noted that diverse initiatives it promoted to introduce state police; enshrine the roles of traditional institutions in the constitution and devolve more powers to subnational governments, among others, in the previous amendments did not secure twothirds approval at the state Assemblies.
Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Jibrin, made these observations at the zonal public hearing on the constitution review held in Lagos.
Represented by Bamidele, the Senate deputy president observed that previous amendments did not tackle several fundamental issues of national importance confronting the federation. He stressed the need to come up with a constitution that will address the fundamental issues confronting Nigeria.
He said in response to the demands of Nigerians, the National Assembly has enacted five amendments to the constitution, known as the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th Alteration Acts. Since the beginning of the Fourth Republic, the National Assembly has made five different attempts to review the constitution each of which led some amendments.
The Senate deputy president, however, highlighted several fundamental issues that have not been decisively addressed to include electoral reforms and adjudication; judicial reforms focused on case management and administration; and enhancement to local government administration.
Others are involvement of traditional institutions in contemporary governance, ensuring gender equity and inclusion in governance; devolution and distribution of powers and concerns related to security and policing.
Review to guarantee a united federation
Speaking at the Ikot Ekpene, venue of the zonal public hearing for the South-South, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio, said the review of the constitution being embarked upon by the National Assembly, will guarantee the evolution of a more just, united, and forward-looking federation.
His words: “Today’s event is not merely a formality. It is a democratic rite, a solemn moment in which the people, not politicians alone, speak into the soul of the nation. It is an affirmation that in a democracy, every voice counts.
Let us not forget that democracy is a work in progress. No constitution is eternal in its original form, and no democracy is perfect because man himself is not perfect. But it is in our collective pursuit of perfection that more perfect union that the true beauty of democracy lies.
“Therefore, the review of our constitution is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. It is not a complaint against the past, but a commitment to the future. We amend not to abandon, but to realign to adapt our national charter to the changing realities, dreams, and demands of the good people of Nigerian. “Every Nigerian is a stakeholder in Nigeria’s democracy.
This public hearing is a testament to the Senate’s unwavering belief that truth emerges not from silence, but from dialogue; not from monologue, but from the aggregation of honest opinions.
That is why we are here not as party men, but as patriots. Not as political actors, but as nation-builders.” In the South-East, the traditional authority found its voice, as Chief Emeka Ofor, a monarch from Anambra, stated: “traditional rulers are the first point of justice and leadership in many communities.
If you want peace in Nigeria, recognize our roles in the constitution.” Gender advocates were equally resolute. Dr. Nneka Okoro, speaking at the Enugu zonal public hearing, averred: “We want 35 per cent inclusion for women not as a favour, but as a right. How can half of the population be marginalized in decisionmaking?”
NASS to transmit report
Meanwhile, the National Assembly, has disclosed that it would transmit the report of the ongoing constitution review to the 36 state assemblies before December in line with its design and timetable.
The apex legislative Assembly also challenged all stakeholders with special requests to engage and lobby their states Assembly to support the various proposals, noting that the National Assembly “cannot successfully review the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) without their approval.”
Senator Bamidele made the appeal at the conclusion of the two-day zonal public hearing in Lagos State, challenging all stakeholders across the federation to lobby states Assembly and their lawmakers to secure basic requirements for the successful amendment of the constitution.
While he promised that the National Assembly will process all the proposals it received so far and transmit them to the states Assembly, Bamidele challenged stakeholders to decisively engage and lobby all the state legislatures if all the amendments would become part of the constitution. This is not the first time a constitutional review would be carried out by the National Assembly.
The 7th and 8th Assembly carried out similar exercises with citizens across zones. Voluminous reports were produced, hundreds of memoranda were submitted, bills were drafted, yet the core structure of the 1999 Constitution, largely decreed by the military, remains unaltered.
Ultimately, these particular zonal public hearings will be judged not by the size of the crowd or the eloquence of memoranda, but by implementation. It is against this backdrop that Nigerians are watching to see if the President Bola Tinubu- [ed administration and the 10th Assembly will be courageous enough to challenge the foundational defects of the constitution.
