The Deputy Senate President and Chairman Senate Committee on Review of the 1999 Constitution, Senator Ovie Omo Agege has assured Nigerian teachers and local government employees at the grassroots that autonomy of local government councils would not be treated with levity in the ongoing review of the Constitution.
He gave the pledge on Monday while receiving representatives of the Nigeria Union of Teachers (NUT) and Nigeria Union of Local Government Employees (NULGE) who paid him a courtesy visit.
Represented by his Chief of Staff, Dr Otive Igbuzor at the visit organised by a group, the Partnership to Engage, Reform and Learn (PERL), the Senator representing Delta Central said that the National Assembly will partner with them even in their plans in the monitoring of various states Houses of Assembly’s consideration of proposed amendments after the National Assembly’s first vote.
The Deputy Senate President specifically said direct funding of Universal Basic Education Commission would equally be considered while he urged both unions to take more than passing interest in the agitation to strip the State Independent Electoral Commission, (SIEC) of the responsibility of organising elections into local government councils.
He said “I note that many of the issues you have raised in terms of direct funding to local governments, mainstreaming youth into governance, roles for traditional rulers and so on, are already addressed in the memoranda that the Nigeria Labour Congress and many other Nigerians have submitted and the constitution review process is already taking those into consideration.
“I note that there are some issues you raised but which are not in your memoranda – issues such as direct funding for UBEC, defining those to participate in the management of primary education and I urge you send the memo soonest because we are concluding arrangements; the commitment of the leadership of the Senate is that voting on the constitution review process would be done before they go on the long recess in July.
“There is also something that I want all of us to go back on – that is part of the challenges of our democracy; in one breath, we are pushing for genuine federalism through fiscal federalism, devolution of powers to states but in another breath, we are saying that states are not capable of conducting free and fair local government council elections.”
Reaction to the call in certain quarters for a new Constitution as against amendment enshrined in the existing document, Senator Omo Agege maintained that the National Assembly would restrict itself to the provisions in the 1999 Constitution.
“We have responded elaborately to those calling for a fresh constitution and it must be noted that an amendment has not been made to Section 9 of Nigeria’s constitution; so, the National Assembly will stay within the confines of the constitution to do its work.”
Dr Okoroafor Okechukwu and Comrade Ambali Olatunji represented the Nigeria Union of Teachers and NULGE on the entourage.
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