Sanni Onogu, Abuja
The Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution is set to receive memoranda from Nigerians, it was learnt on Sunday.
Deputy President of the Senate and Chairman Senate Committee on Constitution Review Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege disclosed during his speech as a guest of honour at the 50th anniversary of the Nigerian Military School, Zaria, 1970 set.
In a statement in Abuja, his spokesman, Yomi Odunuga, said the Deputy Senate President also described the market slump of crude oil price due to the global outbreak of Coronavirus pandemic as a wake-up call for Nigeria to look towards a life without oil.
This, according to him, would require bold policy changes to restructure the country’s mono-product economy.
Senator Omo-Agege called on the old students to fashion out creative solutions to the challenges confronting the country.
He said: “The recent global outbreak of the COVID-19… obviously poses peculiar challenges, not only for personal health, but also for the economy and business. As we have seen already in the global oil and foreign exchange markets, these are frightening challenges that we must solve.
“Although the present administration has taken bold measures to stave off the outbreak from our shores, I am sure this global threat remains in the mind of everyone of us here.
“We need to deal with the sharp drop in global oil prices and its impact on the 2020 budget and the exchange rate, and by implication, on the short, medium and long-term health of the economy.
“We will get through this, but it is going to require, more than anything else, bold policy changes to restructure the economy because it is still too dependent on crude oil.
“And this will necessitate some drastic changes in our ways of life. It will not be easy. I am very optimistic, however, that we can do it. And my optimism about Nigeria going forward is in part because we have people like you who have the discipline associated with your alma mater.
“We have begun work on this important national assignment. How far-reaching this will be, depends on all of us.
“Soon, we will be having public hearings, as well as receiving memoranda. It is my hope that you will avail us your experience in this regard,” he stated.
He, therefore, called for support for the ongoing reforms of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, aimed at achieving sustainable economic growth for Nigerians.
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