Constitution Amendment: Political Scientists Harp On Transparency

Nigerian Political Science Association (NPSA) has stressed the need for openness and transparency in the process of amending Nigeria’s Constitution.

The association of political scientists in the Nigerian universities, described the opportunity provided in the process for regional and national public hearings to enable Nigerians to contribute to the constitutional amendments as a positive development.

NPSA made its position known in a statement signed by its president, Prof. Hassan Saliu, a copy of which was made available to newsmen in Ilorin, Kwara State.

“Currently, Nigeria is undertaking another process of further amending its constitution. We hope this new effort will be significant in its levels of openness and transparency.

“For the NPSA, the opportunity provided in the process for regional and national public hearings to enable Nigerians to contribute to the constitutional amendments is a positive development.

“We reiterate the importance of conducting this process satisfactorily and without haste, and we are confident that ample time will be given to Nigerians by the National Assembly to express their views on the matter.

“While there is a constraint of space in embarking on an item-by-item review of the proposals submitted for amendments, we take the liberty to mention just two of the items. The first concerns the status of local government councils. As it is, the standing of the councils in terms of control is at best ambiguous: both the federal and state governments have control over them.

“The need for safeguards for the Councils is appreciated; however, we still submit that the constitutional provisions regarding the existence of the councils are unusual and not in line with those of most other federations worldwide. Nigerians expect the review to take the necessary steps to bring LGAs under the control of the states, while imposing some restraints to ensure effective council administration,” it said.

The association called on  lawmakers to address the issue of electoral reform, noting that after 26 years in the Fourth Republic, the country should have joined the league of countries with less controversial elections.

It urged the lawmakers to focus on measures that could improve electoral integrity in Nigeria.

“Our specific appeal to the National Assembly members is that they need to appreciate the fact that a significant number of problems facing the country stem from its governance architecture. In this regard, having a constitution that is full of contradictions is not an enabler.

“ The process of amending the 1999 Constitution, as amended, should therefore be open, transparent, and designed to reflect Nigeria’s diversity. Nigerians expect that this time, the process would not end up serving the interests of the political gladiators but the people of Nigeria,” NPSA said.