Gov Diri Decries ‘Endless’ Constitution Reviews

Bayelsa State governor, Senator Douye Diri, has faulted what he described as the ‘endless process’ of reviewing the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.

Speaking on Friday at the Government House, Yenagoa, when he hosted members of the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review, the governor recalled that he was a member of the committee when he was in the National Assembly from 2015 to 2020, and expressed concern that successive administrations in the country had not implemented the committee’s recommendations.

A statement by his chief press secretary, Daniel Alabrah, quoted the governor as saying that the exercise was becoming a waste of time and resources as every National Assembly session embarked on the same process without the recommendations being implemented.

The governor expressed the hope that the current federal government administration would ensure that the ongoing review reached a logical end.

Diri restated the need for equitable distribution of the country’s resources, alleging a great injustice to Bayelsa, an oil-producing state making huge contributions to the economy, in having only eight local government areas.

He said, for Nigeria to make progress, it must practice fiscal federalism and uphold justice.

“I thank you for choosing Bayelsa to host the zonal public hearing on the review of our constitution. I appreciate the speaker of the House of Representatives for sustaining this ritual, which I hope will come to an end one day.

“But this is not good for us as a country. We cannot be holding Constitution review and nothing comes out of it. It is becoming a waste of time and resources. I want to believe that this government has what it takes to implement the decisions that will be arrived at this time.

“I was a member of this same committee and nothing happened. But I am hoping that the president we have today, who is a democrat, will implement the recommendations.”

The governor said the state was in a hurry to develop and that the concerted effort of everyone in government had resulted in the steady progress of the state.

He equally faulted those describing Bayelsa as a small state, noting that it is bigger in land mass than about nine other states in Nigeria.

Earlier, majority leader and deputy chairman of the House of Representatives Constitution Review Committee, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, said his Team A, covering Edo, Bayelsa and Delta states, was in the South-South zone to consult with people of the three states and hear from them on the areas that need to effect changes in the constitution.

According to Ihonvbere, only a transparent and participatory process would guarantee development in Nigeria.

He commended Diri’s leadership style, which he said had brought development to Bayelsa just as he is also providing leadership for the South-South region of the country.

He said the Bayelsa State governor left an enviable legacy at the National Assembly and as his former colleagues, they were not surprised about his performance in the state.