JONAS EZIEKE, Abuja

 

The House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria has assured that it is committed to ensuring broader participation by Nigerians and other critical stakeholders in the ongoing process of amending the nation’s supreme law.

 

Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the House Committee, Hon Benjamin Kalu, gave the assurance at a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja, saying that the Committee’ll be embarking on zonal public hearings in 12 centers across the six geopolitical zones in Nigeria.

 

These hearings, according to him, 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.

 

Moreover, he informed that there are 86 Constitution Review Bills currently under consideration in the House that will be presented to the general public in the form of a compressed compendium consisting of a collation of explanatory memoranda, long titles and a comprehensive exposé of the Bills for their inputs.

 

These legislative instruments sponsored by some federal lawmakers represent legislative efforts aimed at addressing various developmental challenges affecting governance practices in Nigeria.

 

In its determination to achieve success the Committee ‘ll 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.

They will facilitate public engagement by allowing citizens to seek clarifications, critically examine the Bills based on their subject matter, and contribute through constructive input.

 

Moreover, in order to foster the exchange of ideas during the engagement, they will be providing members of the House with valuable insights into the expectations and concerns of their constituents and the wider public.

 

These platforms provided by the House Committee’ll help guide their legislative actions and inform their decisions when the Bills are brought up for voting.

 

Furthermore, it will provide feedback to members of the public who submitted memoranda, informing them whether and how their concerns have been addressed in the proposed amendments.

 

There is a compendium  to be presented to the public at these hearings organised according to the following thematic areas

 

These proposed laws include Electoral Reforms, Judicial Reforms, Legislature, Inclusive Governance, Security and Policing, Devolution of Powers, Strengthening of Institutions,  Traditional Institutions, Fiscal Reforms, Citizenship and Indigeneship, Fundamental Human Rights, Local Government Reform and Creation of States & Local Governments.

 

The geo-politcal zonal centres for North-Central are Lafia for Nasarawa, Plateau, Benue States and the Federal Capital Territory FCT. Minna is for Niger, Kwara and Kogi States. For North/East the centres are Maiduguri for Borno, Adamawa and Yobe States and Gombe, for Gombe, Bauchi and Taraba States.

 

For the South-South zone, Yenagoa is the centre for Bayelsa, Edo and Delta.States while Calabar is for Cross-River, Rivers and Akwa-Ibom States. For the South-West Lagos is the centre for Lagos,Ogun and Oyo States while Akure is for Ondo, Osun and Ekiti States.

 

 

According to the Committee helmsman, all the proposals discussed at the public hearings and the resolutions reached will be considered by the Committee to either enrich or discard them.

 

The House Committee urges the invited stakeholders and the general public to actively participate in the zonal and national public hearings.

 

It added that the public’s contributions and inputs are crucial to the success of this constitutional review process.

 

These legislative proposals in the 86 Bills can be downloaded as summarized by the Committee from www.hccr.gov.ng, to help review these proposals and to provide feedback during the hearings.. National Public Hearing.

 

For a better society

Follow us across our platforms:

Instagram – https://www.instagram.com/championnewsonline/
Facebook – https://web.facebook.com/championnewsonline
LinkedIn – https://www.linkedin.com/company/champion-newspapers-limited/
https://x.com/championnewsng/

You can also like and comment on our YouTube videos.
https://youtu.be/QIBfD1tT80w?si=R4Qf3so2LxYu3GC2

The post Constitution amendment: Reps to ensure broader participation by Nigerians in ongoing process -Dep. Speaker, Kalu appeared first on Champion Newspapers LTD.