The Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, on Friday, said the only way the National Assembly can succeed in its ongoing Constitution Review exercise is to carry President Muhammadu Buhari and State Governors along in the amendment process, if they must succeed.
The Speakers said this has become necessary to avoid producing a Constitution Alteration Bill that would not be assented to at the end of the day.
The Chairman of Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly and Speaker of Bauchi State House of Assembly, Hon. Abubakar Suleiman, made this assertion in Abuja during the opening session of a two-day retreat organized by the National Assembly joint committee on Constitution Review.
Suleiman insisted that while the retreat offered a better platform for an efficient engagement towards giving the nation a constitution that can stand the test of time, it was important to carry the executive along to ensure that the effort does not end in waste with the President refusing to assent to the document that will be produced.
He said: “We have the onerous responsibility of altering the constitution to meet the needs and yearning of our people and we must do to the admiration of the citizens.
“We are confronted with certain challenges in the country that borders on insecurity, economy, devolution of power, weak institutions among others. The conference of Speakers subscribe to the calls that the review of the constitution is one of the Legislative actions at our disposal that could be explored to address these challenges.
“We, therefore, call on members of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly to take this opportunity of yet another alteration exercise to address many agitating issues such as restructuring, devolution of power, Community and State Police etc. We appreciate the inclusiveness in the exercise.
“Public hearings have been conducted to harness the input of the citizens and the Conference of Speakers of State Assemblies has been engaged in the exercise.
“We ask the National Assembly to carry among other major stakeholders like the Presidency and the Executive Governors in the amendment of the constitution.
“We are particular about the Executive arm of government due to past experience in withholding presidential assent and the issue of implementation at the state level.
“This call is born out of genuine concern toward the accomplishment of this noble exercise an in consideration of our rigorous efforts and scarce resources committed to the exercise.”
The 1999 Constitution makes State Houses of Assembly a vital component of the amendment to the constitution and the leadership of the National Assembly has decided to involve the leadership of the state legislature before the document is sent to them.
The joint committee of the Senate and the House of Representatives on Constitution Review adopted some amendments which are expected to be tabled before the plenary of both chambers before the end of the month.
Speaking at the event, Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, said it was important to interface, reflect and engage the state legislators as partners working for the peace, unity, and development of the country.
He said the requirement of Section 9 of the Constitution positions State legislatures as distinct and critical partners in Constitution alteration, adding that the success of the current exercise largely depends on the support and partnership of state legislators.
He said going forward, after passage of the proposals by the National Assembly in a fortnight, “you will be the pillar on which this work will be anchored.”
Omo-Agege who is also the Chairman of the Senate ad hoc committee on Constitution review said the work of the National Assembly so far has been guided strictly by best legislative practice, integrity, open mindedness, and patriotism.
He asked the state lawmakers to set aside political leanings and other affiliations to abide by the same standards, saying “I know it is the desire of every Nigerian that this process will bring positive transformations to our country.
“Therefore, we should all leverage this retreat to bequeath to our nation a constitution that speaks to the yearnings and aspirations of every Nigerian.”
In his own remarks, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Ahmed Idris Wase, who doubles as Chairman of the House ad hoc committee on constitution review, said the retreat was part of collaborative synergies of the National Assembly towards promoting good governance and actualizing the dreams and aspirations of Nigerians.
He said right from the beginning, the lawmakers stated that the need and importance of reviewing the Constitution cannot be overemphasized as a vast majority of Nigerians consider the 1999 Constitution a product of military exigency and that the reference to ‘We the people in the Constitution does not truly represent them.
Wase said a lot of Nigerians have yearned for a crucial review hence the public hearings that were conducted across the country and the memoranda collected from Nigerians.
He disclosed that about 178 memoranda for constitution review were received by the House of Representatives from Nigerians with 1,980 specific recommendations, adding that the issues were aggregated into thematic areas and members sponsored bills in line with peoples’ aspirations.
According to him, these thematic areas include issues bothering on Local Government Administration and Autonomy, the Legislature, Judicial Reform, State Creation, State Police, Devolution of Powers, Women and Vulnerable Groups, Strengthening of Institutions, Good Governance, Political Parties and Electoral Matters, Traditional Institution, Federal Capital Territory Administration, Fundamental Human Rights and National Security.