No fewer than 46 States and 117 Local Government Councils creation bills are currently before the Special Ad-hoc Committee on Constitution Review, Nigerian Tribune gathered authoritatively on Wednesday.
The proposed bills were part of the
out of compendium of 86 Constitution Review Bills currently to be considered at across the 12 centres Zonal Public Hearings scheduled to take place in 12
According to the document seen by our Correspondent, six proposed states in the North East, seven States in the North West; 12 States in the North Central; six states in the South East; seven States in South South and eight states in the South West geopolitical zones of the Federation.
The compendium was organized into 13 thematic areas, including Electoral Reforms, Judicial Reforms, Legislature, Inclusive Governance, Security and Policing, Devolution of Powers and Strengthening of Institutions.
Others are Traditional Institutions, Fiscal Reforms, Citizenship and Indigeneship, Fundamental Human Rights, Local Government Reform and Creation of States and Local Governments.
Addressing Parliamentary Correspondents in Abuja, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Kalu explained that the compendium provides a comprehensive overview of the proposed amendments, including explanatory memoranda, long titles, and detailed expositions of each bill.
He also said that the move is aimed at fostering public engagement and soliciting inputs from Nigerians on the proposed legislative reforms, revealing that the House intends to use the feedback gathered from the public to inform its decisions when the bills are brought up for voting.
Hon. Kalu who doubles as Chairman, House Committee on Constitution Review, added zonal public hearings will be held across the country, where stakeholders and members of the public will have the opportunity to scrutinize the bills, seek clarifications, and provide constructive inputs.
He said: “86 Constitution Review Bills currently under consideration in the House will be presented to the general public in form of a compressed compendium consisting of a collation of explanatory memoranda, long titles and a comprehensive exposé of the Bills for their inputs.
“The Bills, sponsored by Members of the House, represent legislative efforts
aimed at addressing various developmental challenges affecting
governance practices in Nigeria.
“The purpose of the summarized compendium are to present the Compendium as reference material to all stakeholders and members of the public during the Zonal Public Hearings, thereby enabling them to understand the legislative proposals; facilitate public engagement by allowing citizens to seek clarifications, critically examine the Bills based on their subject matter, and contribute through constructive input; foster the exchange of ideas during the Hearings, thereby providing Members of the House with valuable insights into the expectations and concerns of their constituents and the wider public.
“This will help guide their legislative actions and inform their decisions when the Bills are brought up for voting; provide feedback to members of the public who submitted memoranda, informing them whether and how their concerns have been addressed in the proposed amendments.
“The House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the
Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is committed to ensuring
broader participation by Nigerians and other critical stakeholders in the
ongoing process of amending the Constitution. To achieve this, we will be
embarking on zonal public hearings in 12 centers across the six geopolitical
zones in Nigeria.
“These hearings are designed to provide an open platform for citizens, civil
society organizations, professional bodies, traditional institutions, and
other interest groups to express their views and contribute meaningfully to
the constitutional reform process.
“The Zonal Public Hearings will hold in six centres of the three Geopolitical
Zones in the North from Friday, 11th July to Sunday, 13th July 2025, and in six
centres of the three Geopolitical Zones in the South from Friday, 18th to
Sunday, 20th July, 2025 while the National Public Hearing will hold on
Monday, July 21, 2025.”
Hon. Kalu encouraged the members of the public to download the compendium, review the proposed bills, and provide feedback to inform the legislative process.
“In conclusion, I call on all stakeholders and the general public to actively
participate in the zonal and national public hearings. Your contributions and
inputs are crucial to the success of this constitutional review process. We
encourage you to download the summarized compendium of the bills
from www.hccr.gov.ng review the proposals, and provide your feedback during the hearings. Together, we can create a more inclusive and effective
constitution that reflects the aspirations of our great nation,” the Deputy Speaker said.
While giving insight to the ongoing efforts to ensure effective participation of Nigerians at the grassroot level, he disclosed that necessary measures have been out in place to engage State Governors and other stakeholders.
He said: “I agree with you that engagement, public engagement is the true reflection of participatory democracy. If you leave that out of the door, then you are making laws for yourself, not for the people.
“So that is why you are seeing that we are taking this journey from the time we advertised for memoranda. And you know, we called the public to say what they think. Those grassroots were part of the people we are calling. Remember, those grassroots, they have leaders. There are people leading them. Community leaders, Traditional Leaders, Religious organization, Faith-based organization Leaders, Civil Society leaders.
“They are part of the grassroots. And we have received memoranda from the representatives of these stakeholders, including the grassroots. Market women, all of them. We have received from drivers. We have received from all walks of life. And we also try to make sure that we work with the Governors of various States to help us with the President-Generals or community leaders or community heads in their various Local Governments, through town crying, like in the south they do town crying, or even advertising it in the churches or in the mosque.
“So that the day of the event, the place will be filled up, and these grassroots we have in mind, that we also have in mind, they will be present there to be heard. And another effort we are making is ensuring that people who speak the same language are in the room to interpret this compendium for those not understand the big English here, there are people there.
“The way we have divided time will not allow me to give you the membership of the committees going to the various places. You see that a Yoruba man is where Yoruba people are, discussing,” Hon. Kalu assured.
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