The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has emphasised the importance of engaging governors early in the constitutional review process to prevent potential roadblocks at the state level.
Kalu, who chairs the House Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, disclosed this to journalists after briefing governors on the ongoing constitution amendment exercise during the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) meeting on Wednesday night in Abuja.
He emphasised the critical role of governors in the ongoing constitution review process, describing them as “major stakeholders” in Nigeria’s federal structure.
He outlined plans to actively involve state leaders and their constituents in shaping the nation’s constitution.
“The governors are major stakeholders in this country. Without the federating units, there is no Nigeria. If you ignore them, the wheel of progress toward realizing this objective will be slowed down,” he said.
The Deputy Speaker noted that the engagement aimed to update the governors on the work plan, achievements so far, and future goals.
He revealed that the Constitution Review Committee had identified 161 areas for potential amendments, with more details to be shared in subsequent meetings.
He added that the committee planned to visit states and geopolitical zones to gather public input on specific thematic areas under review.
As part of the collaborative effort, governors were asked to appoint liaison officers to streamline communication and facilitate smoother deliberations with the state houses of assembly when the time comes for legislative approval.
“This won’t be the first and last engagement. We are going to have a couple of engagements. From the beginning, we want them to have input. That way, it will make it easier by the time this constitution review gets to the states,” the Deputy Speaker explained.
Kalu also said the discussions touched on sensitive topics like tax reforms, local government autonomy, and state policing.
However, contrary to public expectations, he said the governors did not prioritise state policing or tax reforms during the meeting.
“To be fair to the governors, they did not dwell on tax reforms. It was generally about the constitution. They spoke on local government reforms and were open-minded toward all the areas we are looking at in the constitution,” he said.
Similarly, the issue of state police did not dominate the discussions.
The Deputy Speaker praised the governors for their nationalist and forward-looking approach, stating, “The governors were professional in their discussion. They listened like leaders of this nation and were interested in what will make this nation move forward.”
The Deputy Speaker assured the public that parliament would critically examine all proposals and align its decisions with the wishes of the Nigerian people.
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