
The National Assembly announced on Saturday that it will transmit the report of the ongoing constitutional review to the 36 State Houses of Assembly before December 2025, in line with its established timetable.
However, the federal legislature stressed the crucial role of state legislatures in the process, urging all stakeholders with constitutional amendment proposals to actively engage and lobby their respective state assemblies.
The National Assembly emphasized that without approval from two-thirds of state assemblies, the constitution review process cannot be completed successfully.
According to Nation, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, Leader of the Senate and Zonal Chairman of the Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, made this known during the conclusion of a two-day zonal public hearing held at the Water Crest Hotel in Ikeja, Lagos.
Since constitutional amendments began in the Fourth Republic in 1999, critical issues such as devolution of powers, local government autonomy, the creation of additional states, and the establishment of state police have consistently taken center stage at public hearings.
Saturday’s event was attended by prominent lawmakers, including Deputy Senate Minority Leader Senator Olarere Oyewunmi; Chairperson, Senate Committee on Humanitarian Affairs and Poverty Reduction, Dr. Oluranti Adebule; Chairperson, Senate Committee on Health, Senator Ipalibo Banigo; Chairman, Senate Committee on Public Procurement, Senator Olajide Ipinsangba; and Chairman, Senate Committee on Judiciary, Human Rights and Legal Matters, Senator Adeniyi Adegbomire.
In his remarks, Bamidele stated, “We have completed the public hearing. We are now returning to Abuja to prepare our report. Part of our timetable is to have final notifications before the end of the year and transmit our report to all state assemblies. This will round the process of the constitution review.”
He stressed that the review process is not a “jamboree,” contrary to perceptions in some quarters, but a serious exercise aimed at implementing “consequential reforms that can guarantee our collective prosperity, more efficient governance structure and sustainable development.”
Bamidele reiterated the importance of state-level engagement, stating: “There is nothing the National Assembly can do without a two-thirds approval of all proposals by the state legislatures.
“All stakeholders must work with their lawmakers at the state level. We must appreciate the role of state assemblies to ensure the passage of the proposals into laws.”
He continued, “State assemblies are part of the process. We have been in Lagos State in the last 48 hours, listening to people’s aspirations, concerns and will. All six states in the geo-political zone were represented by their elected representatives. We are in this process together to receive their presentations.
“The state assemblies are already anticipating the report of the constitution review from the National Assembly. They are not waiting for the report alone.
“They are also part of the constitution review process. I do not envisage any problem from the state assemblies.
“Therefore, we are advising all the stakeholders who are also looking for special considerations to extend their advocacies to the state assemblies.
“It is not just about them as elected representatives, but as representatives of people who elected them. People should be aware when they are making decisions to be sure that they are also doing so in consonance with the wishes of their constituents.”
Also speaking at the hearing, Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Legislatures of Nigeria and Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly, Debo Ogundoyin, advocated for greater devolution of powers to subnational governments to enable accelerated development.
Represented by the Deputy Speaker, Abiodun Fadeyi, Ogundoyin called for Federal and State Governments to be empowered to legislate on matters such as solid minerals, labour, drugs and poisons, telecommunications, and stamp duties.
He said, “Devolution of powers is key to this ongoing constitutional amendment by devolving key items from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List in the interest of all. For instance, the removal of the electricity matter from the Exclusive Legislative List has significantly transformed many states’ power sector through independent power supply initiatives.”
Backing the establishment of state police, Ogundoyin outlined the potential benefits, including enhanced local security, community policing, reduction of federal burdens, increased accountability, and job creation.
He noted, “Concerning the state police, all the stakeholders will agree with me that the debate over the establishment of state policing has garnered momentum from both supporters and critics. The potential benefits of state police far outweigh the challenges.
“In essence, what the amendment seeks to address will be the powers, responsibilities and limits of the state police should be clearly defined, provide oversight mechanisms to prevent abuse and design a comprehensive framework for federal and state police to work in harmony to balance power and for effective coordination mechanisms”, he stated.
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