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Tag: Constitution amendment

CLO faults A’Ibom Assembly on Constitution Amendment
By Odo Ogenyi, Uyo
The Civil Liberties Organisation (CLO), in Akwa Ibom has said that the recent stakeholders meeting convened by the State House of Assembly on the alteration of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria did not meet the expectations of the people.
It has therefore called on the Assembly to re-organise a public hearing on the transmitted Constitution (Fifth Alteration) Bills, 2022 for the people of the state to actively participate in the amendment of the Constitution
This was contained in a statement endorsed by its state chairman, Otuekong Franklyn Isong and its Chairman, Intergovernmental Committee, Barr. Godknows Njoku made available to newsmen in Uyo yesterday.
The organization insisted that the just concluded “Stakeholders Meeting” put together by the Assembly’s Ad-hoc Committee on the Transmitted Constitution (Fifth Alteration) Bills, 2022 and chaired by House Leader Comrade Udo Kierian Akpan was inadequate.
The human rights group expressed disappointment that the two days event which took place last week was poorly organised and fell below the standard of all known parliamentary practices.
According to the CLO, “stakeholders invited to such an important parliamentary exercise were not given draft copies of the proposed amendments to the Nigerian Constitution prior to the event and were not given at the event either, hence it was practically impossible for stakeholders to make contributions that will form part of inputs from the people of Akwa Ibom State.”
It maintained that, “the whole exercise was conducted in a manner as though the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly had a premeditated position to transmit to the National Assembly without the inputs of Akwa Ibom people.”
The pro-democracy group therefore called on the State Assembly to re-organise a public hearing, “whose outcome would reflect the wishes and aspirations of the Akwa Ibom people in the making of the Nigerian Constitution.”
July 15, 2022
Constitution Amendment: NASS Okays Autonomy For Local Governments
The National Assembly on Tuesday granted financial and administrative autonomy to all the local governments across Nigeria.
This was done when the lawmakers voted on 68 Constitution Amendment bills at their plenary. The voting was done electronically.
Both chambers of the National Assembly during voting on the Constitution Amendment voted in favour of Local Government administrative autonomy as a tier of government and guarantee their democratic existence and tenure.
In the House of Representatives, the bill to create a special account through which funds for local governments will be paid directly from the Federation Account had 257 ‘YES’ votes while nine persons voted ‘NO.’
For the local government autonomy, 258 members of the House of representatives voted ‘YES’ while 15 voted ‘NO’.
In the Senate Chamber, Local government financial autonomy had 92 ‘YES’ votes and two ‘NO’ votes.
Also in the Senate Chamber, local government autonomy, had 258 ‘YES’ votes and 15 ‘NO’ votes.
Local government administrative autonomy had 88 ‘YES’ votes, four ‘NO’ votes.
The National Assembly made this vote less than 24 hours after the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) led a protest to the National Assembly, to demand overwhelming votes in favour of autonomy for the local government and the judiciary.
March 1, 2022
Constitution Amendment: NLC Leads Protest To NASS
The leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) is leading a protest to the National Assembly, to demand overwhelming votes from the federal lawmakers, ahead of the clause by clause voting on the ongoing constitution alteration process.
The labour leaders are demanding that the lawmakers vote in favour of autonomy for the local government and the judiciary.
Members of the NLC during the protest demanded autonomy for the local government and the judiciary on February 28, 2022.
They insist that the lack of autonomy for the judicial arm of Government, as well as the local government as the third tier of Government, run contrary to democratic principles.
February 28, 2022
House to ensure constitution amendment provides for inclusiveness, unity – Gbajabiamila
…says ‘Nigeria belongs to all of us’
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Femi Gbajabiamila, has said that the House would ensure that the ongoing constitution amendment produces a document that would entrench inclusiveness and unity among Nigerians.
Gbajabiamila said the efforts of the House would also put in place mechanisms for holding the institutions of state accountable and “put an end to the debilitating conflicts that continue to tear our nation apart.”
Delivering the keynote address at the 112th Founder’s Lecture of the King’s College Old Boys Association (KCOBA) on Saturday in Lagos, with the theme ‘Unity in Diversity, Stronger Together,’ Gbajabiamila said Nigeria stands to achieve a lot when the citizens are united.
Gbajabiamila, who went down memory lane, said having inherited the union called Nigeria, “we have built it up and held it together. We accomplished this through joint effort over many years.
“We did it through citizens moving from one end of the country to another, acquiring education, building businesses, making friends, falling in love, and marrying. We did it through the joy of shared victories and the mourning of communal loss.
“We took ownership of our country by sacrificing blood, sweat and tears to secure democratic governance and make Nigeria into a place where grand visions can be made real by determined effort and where hope can thrive. As in the words of our old national anthem, we have made of this nation where ‘though tribes and tongue may differ in brotherhood we stand’.”
Gbajabiamila, who said “Nigeria belongs to all of us in equal measure,” noted that “the creation of this union was divinely ordained. Therefore, it is our sacred duty as citizens of this great country to identify the purpose of this divine creation and give ourselves to those activities that will make real the divine purpose of our national union.”
“In the House of Representatives, we are currently in the process of a substantive review of our nation’s constitution. Our objective is to deliver a constitution that more effectively organises our politics to make it more inclusive, enshrine efficient mechanisms for holding the institutions of state to account and put an end to the debilitating conflicts that continue to tear our nation apart.
“We will not produce a perfect constitution; no such thing has ever existed in the world. However, together we can, by the choices we make and our actions, use our constitution as the foundational document of our nationhood to give life to the best promise of Nigeria.”
He called for the buy-in and support of Nigerians, especially “credible voices from outside of government,” for the House to succeed in achieving its objectives.
The Speaker said Nigeria’s “unity is incumbent on our ability to do three things and do them well. The first is to ensure that the government respects, protects and guarantees the fundamental rights of all citizens, without exception.
“The second is to provide a society where our people are free from want and have the resources to pursue their dreams and achieve their best aspirations. The third is by freeing our people from the abject terror and accompanying limitations of wanton insecurity in all its forms.
“This is the pathway to a truly united Nigeria. A nation where our diversity is a source of strength, and we are not defined by the differences of tribe, tongue, religion and history. All of the above depends a lot on the quality of political leadership at all levels of government. It also depends on whether we are ready to have the difficult conversations about the realities of our country without recourse to easy tropes and comforting shibboleths.”
He urged that” In our public and private lives, we must also make a conscious effort to reject the formulation of thought and actions that elevate every point of difference and disagreement into a seismic breaking of alliances.
“We cannot continue to assume and act in the assumption that every criticism, political action and governing decision, for good or bad, is the product of ethnic, religious or other such considerations. We need to begin once more to extend to ourselves the benefit of kindness and the assumption of good intentions. We are capable of this.”
September 18, 2021
Constitution amendment: Lecturer wants traditional rulers’ roles specified
Dr Ali Abbas, a former Head of Political Science Department, Yobe University has called for the inclusion of well-specified roles for traditional rulers in the constitution amendment.
Abbas made the call on Thursday in an interview with our correspondent in Damaturu.
He said that traditional rulers have a huge role to play as custodians of the culture and tradition of their people.
“At the moment, they play some roles that are quite important to national unity, cohesion, stability, peace building and national integration.
“These are variables that cannot be ignored in any society that needs to develop.”
He therefore added that by giving them constitutional backing, they would be encouraged to do more.
“I believe with the current Security challenge, political turbulence and current national discourse in the country, it is high time for the traditional rulers to be recognised constitutionally.”
Abbas however observed that such powers should not be in conflict with the political administration, saying the powers should be subject to checks and balances to avoid abuse and misuse.
With regards to women participation in politics, Abbas said the political space in Nigeria was not convenient for women.
He said political domination in Nigeria has been well-structured to the extent that women on their own might not be able to make it to positions of authority the without support of men.
“Our culture and tradition has also not been very supportive for women participation in governance restore the women themselves feel that the system is so dirty, cruel and not accommodating for them.”, he said.
He said such factors needed to be addressed before creating more quarters for women in governance.
On local government administration, Abbas said there was urgent need for autonomy, saying “there is need to allow local governments to operate freely, independent of interference of state governments.
He also said there was need to review the ‘Exclusive and Concurrent list’ in the 1999 constitution.
“The Federal Government should not have business drilling boreholes in the local communities. Local governments should be in position to identify and take care of such needs.
“Similarly, the Federal Government in my view has no business in construction of classrooms in the primary schools.
“How can someone decided where and how classrooms will be constructed from Abuja. The local education authorities should be allowed to do that.”, Abbas said.
He also observed that Nigeria is not ripe for state policing.
Abbas argued that most states in the country did not have enough resources to carter for it.
The lecturer advised that Federal Government should adequately fund and equip the existing security structures instead of creating another one.
With regard creation of more states and local governments, Abbas said before any state be created, it should be able to have economic means to sustain itself otherwise they should remain within the current structure.
May 27, 2021