The Senate has promised to carefully tackle every challenge confronting Nigeria through constitutional amendment exercise.
Ovie Omo-Agege, the deputy senate [resident, who stated this on Wednesday at the opening ceremony of the North-Central zone public hearing of the Senate Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution hosted by the Niger State Government at the Idris legbo International Conference Centre, Minna, said it is the desire of the lawmakers to bring positive transformations to the country.
According to him, “Sitting prominently in the agenda is the need to address by way of constitutional amendments, topical issues like Judiciary and Electoral Reforms, Local Government Autonomy and Devolution of Powers.”
Omo Agege, who spoke through the Deputy Chief Whip and Sub-Committee Chairman, Senator Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi explained that the exercise is to see how to improve on the constitution to meet the needs of Nigerians.
“The review is to improve on the constitution to suit the demands of Nigerians to suit the demands of our time and ensuring that they do not suffer the same fate. f we get these items through constitutional processes of alteration successfully then our Constitutional Democracy will be set on the right pedestal, and ultimately, Nigeria will take its pride of place among the enviable constitutional democracies in the world.”
The Deputy Senate President also stated that the focus of the Committee is how to manage the review exercise in a fair, inclusive, credible, and transparent manner.
“The review is not an attempt at writing an entirely new constitution, we do not pretend to do so, it gives us an opportunity to bring it closer to that which the people desire and to ensure active participation and input from all.”
Also, the Governor of Niger State, Abubakar Sani Bello in his address stated that the Unity of the Nation must remain sacrosanct in the review.
“We must look critically at the 1999 Constitution and as the chairman of North Central Governors Forum, I have no doubt that justice will be given to our zone”.
Furthermore, a minute silent was observed in honour of people killed as a result of insecurity in the zone.
