Constitution Amendment: Reps Focus On State, LG Police, Pro-women Bills

Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu has disclosed that the House of Representatives is considering 87 prioritised constitutional amendments, grouped into thematic areas reflecting Nigerians’ aspirations and concerns.

Kalu, who also chairs the House Committee on Constitution Review, disclosed this during a dinner with the diplomatic community at the National Assembly Complex in Abuja over the weekend.

He identified the thematic areas as gender bills and inclusive governance, security and police reforms, fiscal and judicial reforms, devolution of powers, and local government autonomy.

“Our committee is deeply committed to enhancing the political representation of women and addressing gender disparities in our governance framework. We are considering bills that would create reserved seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly, ensure gender balance in the composition of the Federal Character Commission, and promote fairness and inclusivity in leadership positions.

“Our committee has passed for second reading a landmark bill (HB-617) seeking to transfer policing from the Exclusive to the Concurrent Legislative List, enabling the establishment of State and Local Government Police.

“This bill, which I co-sponsored with 14 other lawmakers, represents a clarion call for a tailored, community-centric policing system that acknowledges the unique position of our states to address security challenges within their borders.

“Other security-related bills under consideration include those seeking to align the appointment of service chiefs with established protocols, enhance the constitutional recognition of the Civil Defence Corps, and grant the National Assembly power to declare industries essential for defence purposes.”

According to him, the committee is considering 10 bills aimed at enhancing accountability, improving revenue management, and ensuring prudent economic governance.

“These include proposals to mandate the presentation of audited reports alongside budget proposals, set specific timelines for budget presentation, create special accounts for borrowed funds and grants, and transfer the management of excess hydrocarbon revenues to the National Sovereign Investment Authority,” Kalu said.

He further stated that the 22 judicial reform bills under consideration aim to enhance the efficiency, transparency, and integrity of Nigeria’s judiciary.

Key proposals, he said, include streamlining electoral adjudication, creating Pre-Election Tribunals, and setting shorter timelines for determining election petitions.

The lawmaker also revealed that bills devolving more powers to sub-regional governments are being considered.

“Our committee is examining 15 bills aimed at decentralising governance and enhancing federal-state cooperation.

These include proposals to transfer water management, interstate commerce, mines and mineral resources, taxes and levies, road tolls, and labour relations to the Concurrent Legislative List, allowing states greater autonomy in these critical areas.

“Following the recent Supreme Court decision mandating democratically elected local government councils, we are considering amendments to guarantee local government autonomy, empowering them as an independent and effective tier of government.”

The Deputy Speaker insisted that the deadline for the conclusion of the committee’s work was sacrosanct.

“We have set December 2025 as our deadline for completing the constitution review process. This timeline is deliberate, designed to ensure that we conclude our work before the commencement of electoral activities that might inadvertently affect the alteration process.

“In the coming months, we will intensify our engagement with stakeholders, conduct public hearings across the country, and refine the proposed amendments based on the feedback received. We will work closely with the State Houses of Assembly, whose concurrence is required for constitutional amendments, to build consensus and expedite adoption.”

The lawmakers’ goal, he said, is to deliver a constitution that strengthens Nigeria’s democracy, promotes inclusive governance, enhances security, ensures fiscal responsibility, and aligns with global best practices in constitutional design.

Kalu emphasised the importance of international collaboration, stating that constitutional reform should not be undertaken in isolation.

“As we navigate this complex process, we recognise the immense value of international partnerships, knowledge exchange, and collaborative learning. We seek your support and partnership in several key areas: study tours and legislative exchanges, technical resources and expertise, and inter-parliamentary cooperation.

“These cooperative frameworks would facilitate the sharing of legislative experiences, procedural innovations, and policy approaches that could enrich our constitutional review process,” he told the diplomatic community.

In his remarks, Zissimos Vergos, Deputy Ambassador of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria and ECOWAS, urged the Nigerian legislature to amend the constitution in line with Nigerians’ demands and aspirations, and to prioritise women’s inclusion.

“Give to your people what they are asking from you—citizenship, social inclusion, financial inclusion, political inclusion. I would also like, of course, to highlight that the gender dimension of all stages of inclusion is very important. We cannot have more women in parliament without also having more girls in school,” he said.

While pledging the EU Delegation’s support to thae constitution amendment process, Vergos added: “We have invested since 1999 in this kind of conversation. We sincerely hope that the outcome of the December 2025 constitutional review will justify these decades of investment. So, we are here with you, to accompany you in this democratic journey.”

The British High Commissioner to Nigeria, Richard Montgomery, also stressed the need to focus on inclusivity, especially for women, and commended the House for the gender and inclusive governance bills under consideration.

“The formal inclusion of women in politics… it is an important matter, and it’s not for us to say how you do that inclusion, but we have a strong belief that, in principle, if we have a more inclusive democracy, we would have better legislation; we would improve; we would grow more trust; we would have more democracy,” he said.