Senate Holds Public Hearing on Constitution Review in Lagos
….Considers proposals on electoral reforms state police, local govt creation, others
The Senate has disclosed that it would kick off its public hearing on the review of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) in Lagos on Friday, aimed at subjecting proposals for the creation of 18 additional local governments, establishment of state police and far-reaching reforms of the electoral system, among others, to public discourse.
The upper chamber has also scheduled to simultaneously hold similar public hearings in other geopolitical zones across the federation with the exception of the North-west.
The postponement of the Northwest public hearing was due to the demise of Kano’s prominent businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, which occurred on Saturday.
Leader of the Senate and Chairman, South-west Zone, Constitution Review Committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele reeled out the programmes for the two-day zonal public hearing on Thursday, noting that the forum offers Nigerians the opportunity to contribute to thorny 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, a 45-man committee with the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jubrin and Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele as Chairman and Vice Chairman respectively.
The committee had subsequently received diverse proposals on inclusive reforms, institutional reforms, security and policing, fundamental rights and objectives, system and structure of government, reforms of the judiciary, roles of the traditional institutions in government, reforms of the local government, reforms of the fiscal environment and electoral reforms, among others.
Consequent upon this development, Bamidele revealed that the public hearing of the South-west Zone would be held in Water Crest Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos between Friday and Saturday, saying it would offer Nigerians the opportunity to contribute to debates on these areas of consideration.
One of the proposals, according Bamidele, is the bill seeking to alter the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of state police or other state government security agencies.
Likewise, Bamidele revealed that the bill seeks to alter the 1999 Constitution to establish the State Security Council to advise State Governors on matters relating to public security and safety among the federating units.
Bamidele cited 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.
He said: “There is a proposal 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 also said that “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.
Also, he mentioned requests for the consequential reforms of the country’s fiscal environment, which in the main sought a timeframe within which the President or a State Governor shall lay the Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly or House of Assembly.
“The proposals further canvass the period within which the President or Governor may authorise the withdrawal of monies from the Consolidated Revenue Fund in the absence of an Appropriation Act from six months to three months.
“The proposals seek to provide for revision of the derivation formula by including other revenues generated within each state of the Federation,” the zonal chairman of the Constitution Review Committee notes.
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 received 32 proposals for the creation of additional states with six from North-west, eight from North-central, five from South-east, six from North-east, six from South-south and four from South-west.
Bamidele further revealed that seven requests for the creation of new local government areas had been received from North-west; five from North-central, one from North-east; three from South-south; one from South-east and one from South-west.
