The National Assembly on Saturday disclosed that it would transmit the report of the ongoing constitution review to 36 State Assemblies before December 2025 consistent with its design and timetable.
The parliament, however, challenged all stakeholders with special requests to engage and lobby their State Assemblies, noting that the National Assembly “cannot successfully review the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) without their approval.
Leader of the Senate/Zonal Chairman, Senate Committee on the Review of 1999 Constitution, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele made this disclosure on Saturday at the conclusion of the two-day zonal public hearing on the Review of the 1999 Constitution held at the Water Crest Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos State.
Since the beginning of alteration of the Constitution in the Fourth Republic in 1999, devolution of powers, local government autonomy, creation of additional states and establishment of state police, among others have taken center stage at the zonal public hearing.
At the public hearing on Saturday are Deputy Minority Leader of the Senate, Senator Olarere Oyewunmi; Chairperson, Senate Committee on Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Oluranti Adebule; Chairperson, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ipalibo Banigo; Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Procurement, Senator Olajide Ipinsangba and Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Adeniyi Adegbomire, among others.
Addressing the stakeholders on Saturday, Bamide disclosed that the report of the constitution review committee would be transmitted to all State Houses of Assembly before December 2025 consistent with the timetable of the exercise.
According to him, we have completed the public hearing. We are now returning to Abuja to prepare our report. Part of our time table is to have final notifications before the end of the year and transmit our report to all state assemblies. This will round the process of the constitution review.
He, therefore, noted that the constitution review “is not a jamboree contrary to some dissenting views across the federation. Rather, it is designed to make consequential reforms that can guarantee our collective prosperity, more efficient governance structure and sustainable development.”
Bamidele also observed that the National Assembly would be handicapped to successfully complete the constitution review process if all the amendments proposed by the stakeholders were not approved by the two-third of state assemblies.
(The Nation)
