From Yakubu Mustapha, Minna
The Senate has reassured Nigerians of their commitment that it will carefully address every challenge facing the nation through constitutional amendment exercise with inputs from the citizens.
The Deputy Senate President, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege disclosed yesterday at the opening ceremony of the North-Central zone public hearing of the Senate Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution hosted in Niger state, Minna that it is the will of the Senate 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.”
Represented by the Deputy Chief Whip and Sub-Committee Chairman, Senator Aliyu Abdullahi Sabi who stated that “the review is to see how to improve on the constitution to suit the demands of our time and ensuring that they do not suffer the same fate”.
He added that “if we get these items through constitutional processes of alteration successfully then our Constitutional Democracy will be set on the right pedastral, and ultimately, Nigeria will take its pride of place among the enviable constitutional democracies in the world.
He stated that there is the need to ensure that the current insecurity challenges is being tackle and
further that the focus of the Committee is how to manage the review exercise in a fair, inclusive, credible, and transparent manner.
Omo- Agege said the review is not an attempt to at writing an entirely new constitution, “and 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”, he added.
In his remarks, the Governor of Niger state, Abubakar Sani Bello said the Unity of Nigeria must remain sacrosanct in the review adding that “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”.
