Constitution Review: Nigerian Governors Pledge Support for Amendment Process

The Deputy Speaker of Nigeria’s House of Representatives, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, has secured the backing of Nigerian governors for the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

This followed a productive meeting with the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF), in Abuja where Kalu who was accompanied by the principal officers of the House revealed that the governors are receptive to the proposed amendments.

The Deputy Speaker, who chaired the Constitution Review Committee of the House, emphasized the vital role of governors as heads of sub-national governments.

He recognized the importance of updating them on parliamentary progress to prepare the State Houses of Assembly for voting on significant issues in the Constitution amendment.

The Deputy Speaker said that this collaborative approach marks a significant departure from previous constitution review processes, stressing that by engaging the governors from the outset, the committee will ensure a more inclusive and successful amendment process.

Kalu who fielded questions from Journalists after his presentation also disclosed that the committee has received approximately 161 areas of concern from the public for evaluation.

 

He said that the committee will soon embark on working visits to various States and geopolitical zones to ensure a comprehensive input from the people.

“The governors are major stakeholders and without the federating units, there is no Nigeria and if you ignore them, the wheel of progress towards realizing our objectives with regards to this constitutional review will be slowed down. And we considered it important to come and engage with them, to bring them up to speed, taking them through our work plan, what we have achieved so far and where we are headed. And we have had a robust discussion and I must say that the governors made beautiful contributions and they are in support of the constitution review.

“We also informed them that we are going to be visiting their states and the geopolitical zones to harvest the opinions of the members of the public in their various zones with regards to the thematic areas of the constitution review.

“We informed them that we have received about 161 areas to amend in the constitution and we are going to give them the breakdown of all of them in the coming engagement. This won’t be the first and last engagement. We are going to have a couple of engagements. This is how we want to do it, differently from how it has been done. So, from the beginning, we want them to have an input and we have requested for them to send us an anchor person, like a liaison, the person that will engage with the committee to bring their input closer, faster to the committee than it used to be and also to take our feedback to them. That way, it will make it easier that by the time this constitution review get to the States, it won’t be a difficult issue having the Houses of Assembly do what they are supposed to do with regards to the constitutional provisions and the role they need to play with the two-thirds voting for it.”

 

Tax reforms and State policing 

Kalu stressed that, the governors had expressed openness to discussions on tax reforms and state policing, adding that they prioritized the nation’s development over specific thematic areas, showcasing their leadership and nationalism.

“The governors spoke generally about the constitution. They were open minded towards all areas we are trying to look in the constitution. They were professional in the discussion. They listened and like nationalists, leaders of this nation, they are interested in what will make the nation move forward and were not fixated on any particular thematic area because we led before various thematic areas that we are considering at the moment”, Kalu said.

However, reading out a communiqué after the closed door meeting, the Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, said the meeting was aimed at addressing pressing national issues.

He emphasised the importance of utilising data and technology to improve Educational management systems during its meeting with the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa.

He added, “The Forum hosted the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives and Chairman of the Committee on the Review of the Constitution, Benjamin Okezie Kalu, who briefed governors on the ongoing constitutional amendment process.

“The Deputy Speaker emphasised the importance of collaboration between the forum and the committee, proposing the establishment of a ‘one-stop shop’ framework to align state-level priorities with the constitutional review process. 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 on strategies to reposition Nigeria’s 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 regions.

“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” the governor said.

 

 

 

 

 

Emmanuel Ukoh