Dantata: Senate postpones North-West constitution review hear

…South-West, North-East, South-South, North-Central, South-East remain on track

The Senate has postponed its North-West Zonal Public Hearing on the Review of the 1999 Constitution amid the mourning of the passing of business tycoon, Alhaji Aminu Dantata.

The philanthropist, one of the promoters of the Kano Foundation, died on 28 June in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, at the age of 94.

The Senate had chosen Kano as the venue for the North-West Zonal hearing.

The Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the Special Ad Hoc Committee on Constitution Alteration, Senator Barau Jibrin, also heads the North-West Zonal Public Hearing.

Incidentally, Senator Jibrin also led the Federal Government’s delegation to Saudi Arabia for the funeral of Dantata, which is taking place on Tuesday, 1 July.

The zonal hearings for the six geopolitical zones were planned to hold simultaneously this Friday and Saturday.

However, with the passing of Dantata and the involvement of the Senate’s leadership in the burial, the Senate, in the spirit of the mourning period, postponed the North-West Zonal Hearing scheduled to hold in Kano until further notice.

Senators also observed a minute’s silence on Tuesday to honour the memory of the late businessman.

Lagos (South-West); Enugu (South-East); Ikot Ekpene (South-South); Jos (North-Central); and Maiduguri (North-East) are the other zonal venues.

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the postponement after an executive session, where he said senators discussed matters of importance to the legislature and the well-being of Nigeria.

Akpabio did not give details but said stakeholders in the North-West zone would meet to decide on a later date convenient for the public hearing.

Senators are using the public hearings to gather the views of Nigerians on proposals to further amend the Constitution, including the request to create an additional 31 states.

Aside from state creation, there are other bills seeking the establishment of state police, a National Local Government Electoral Commission, independent candidacy at all levels of election, defined roles for traditional rulers, and diaspora voting.

Senator Jibrin’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, had earlier, in a statement, highlighted some of the bills listed for the public hearing.

He wrote: “One of the bills proposes the establishment of Local Government Councils as a tier of government to guarantee their democratic existence and tenure. This is part of a renewed push to grant full autonomy to the country’s 774 Local Government Councils.

“The second bill on local government reforms seeks to create an independent National Local Government Electoral Commission (NALGEC) to organise, conduct, and supervise local government elections.

“Also to be considered during the zonal public hearing are two bills on security and policing for the establishment of state police and a State Security Council to coordinate internal security policies at the sub-national level.

“In the area of fiscal reforms, six bills are going to be considered, including one to empower the Revenue Mobilisation, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission to enforce compliance with remittance of accruals into, and disbursement of revenue from, the Federation Account and to streamline the procedure for reviewing the revenue allocation formula.

“Also, on fiscal reforms, a bill to alter the provisions of the Constitution to specify the period within which the President or the Governor of a State shall present the appropriation bill before the National Assembly or House of Assembly will be discussed during the hearing.”

He added, “In a fresh move towards gender equity, the Committee will also consider a bill to provide additional seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly.

“To strengthen traditional institutions, a Bill for an Act to alter the Constitution to establish the National Council of Traditional Rulers, the State Council of Traditional Rulers, and the Local Government Council of Traditional Rulers would also be considered.”

Concerning electoral reforms, the DSP’s office said, “A proposal seeking the amendment of the 1999 Constitution to allow for independent candidacy at all levels of election, from local councils to the presidency, will also be discussed at the public hearing. This is just as a bill for diaspora voting to enfranchise Nigerians abroad has been listed for consideration.”

It noted, “The hearing will consider over 20 bills seeking to overhaul the country’s judiciary, including timelines for judgment delivery and expanded jurisdiction for election tribunals.

“In a bold push for devolution of powers, proposals have been made to transfer items like labour and shipping from the Exclusive to the Concurrent Legislative List.

“Also to be considered during the public hearing are 31 proposals on state creation, with five requests each from the South-West, South-South, and North-Central geopolitical zones. The Committee has received seven requests from the North-East, six from the North-West, and three from the South-East.

“The Committee stressed the importance of public engagement in shaping the country’s Constitution, calling on everyone to participate during the zonal public hearing.”

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