The Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution will conduct public hearings across Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones on July 4 and 5. The hearings will help them gather citizens’ opinions on key proposed amendments to the national constitution.
This was disclosed in a statement released by the Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Senator Barau Jibrin.
He said the hearings will be held simultaneously in Lagos for the South-West, Enugu for the South-East, Ikot Ekpene for the South-South, Jos for the North-Central, Maiduguri for the North-East, and Kano for the North-West.
According to the committee, the events will provide Nigerians an opportunity to contribute to critical reforms.
Citizens are expected to speak on several national issues, including local government autonomy, electoral and judicial reforms, state creation, state policing, and inclusive governance structures.
Barau explained that one of the proposed bills seeks to recognize local government councils as a proper tier of government. This bill would secure their democratic structure and protect their tenure through the constitution.
“This is part of a renewed push for full autonomy for all the 774 local government councils in the country,” he stated.
Focus on Local Governance, Fiscal and Electoral Reforms
A second bill focuses on the creation of an independent body, the National Local Government Electoral Commission (NALGEC), to oversee local government elections. This move is designed to end political interference and ensure fair electoral processes at the local level.
Other key issues for discussion include the proposal to establish state police and a state security council. These bodies would coordinate internal security at the state level and help address rising insecurity more effectively.
In the area of finance and resource management, the hearings will consider six bills on fiscal reform. One of the bills proposes granting enforcement powers to the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation and Fiscal Commission. This would compel government agencies to remit earnings into the Federation Account and guide how revenue is shared.
Another bill proposes a constitutional amendment to mandate timelines for presenting budget proposals. The bill would set fixed periods within which the president or governors must submit appropriation bills to their respective legislative houses.
Proposals to Promote Inclusion and Justice
Also scheduled for review is a bill to allocate additional legislative seats for women in both the National Assembly and state houses of assembly. The move is aimed at increasing women’s representation and participation in governance.
Another proposal suggests creating formal councils for traditional rulers at the national, state, and local levels. These councils would be constitutionally recognised and serve as advisory bodies on cultural and local matters.
The committee will also examine a bill to allow independent candidates to contest elections at all levels. This would open the political space beyond political parties.
A proposal for diaspora voting will also be considered. If approved, Nigerians living abroad would be able to participate in national elections. Supporters believe this would deepen democracy by involving more citizens in decision-making.
The committee revealed that over 20 bills targeting reforms in the judiciary have also been submitted. These include proposals for setting deadlines for judgment delivery and expanding the powers of election tribunals to improve justice delivery.
The hearings will also consider the possibility of moving issues like labour and shipping from the exclusive legislative list to the concurrent list. This would give both federal and state governments more power to legislate on these sectors.
In terms of state creation, the committee has received 31 formal proposals. The South-West, South-South, and North-Central each submitted five requests. The North-East sent seven, the North-West six, and the South-East three.
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