Constitution review: Senate committee received 60 bills, 250 memoranda ― Omo Agege

Ahead of the anticipated amendment of the 1999 Constitution, the Senate Committee saddled with the assignment has said it has received 60 bills and 250 memoranda.

Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, gave the disclosure at a weekend. The occasion was the retreat organised to review and analyse memoranda received from Nigerians towards the proposed amendment of the Constitution.

The Deputy Senate President said the 60 bills emanated from serving senators across party lines while the 250 memoranda came from members of the public.

Senator Omo Agege told the gathering of his colleagues, senior lawyers, academicians and technical consultants to analyse the memoranda that inputs from the public covered diverse issues such as gender equality and affirmative action, inclusiveness of women, youth and persons with a disability, devolution of power to the federating units, local government fiscal autonomy, the unfettered autonomy of the judiciary, and derivation principle. It also included streamlining of criteria for qualification for participation in elective offices at all levels.

According to him, key issues in the memoranda from the public include the creation of states and local governments, restructuring the federation by the review of the derivation principles and legislative powers of the federal, state and local governments.

ALSO READ: Reps begin probe of N83.9bn COVID-19 funds

The Deputy Senate President further tasked the technical committee to work towards finalising the constitution review bill for passage in June 2021, as he noted that many Nigerians were anxious to see the outcome of the exercise.

He restated the commitment of the leadership of the National Assembly ‘to complete and give Nigerians a reviewed constitution within this legislative term.”

Highlights of the retreat were presentations made by experts on increasing participation of women in governance, and recommendations that will support women to seek elective offices at the Local government, state and federal levels.
The participants also looked at memoranda which recommended constitutional provision for allocation of 35 per cent of political positions reserved for female candidates, and gender inclusiveness in the Constitution.

Checks revealed that the retreat was convened by the Senate in partnership with National Democratic Institute (NDI) and United Nations Women, with support of the Government of Sweden and United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

NIGERIAN TRIBUNE

Constitution review: Senate committee received 60 bills, 250 memoranda ― Omo Agege