The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mr Femi Gbajabiamila has revealed plans to transmit some of the proposed amendments to the 1999 Constitution to the 36 States Houses of Assembly in February 2022.
The Speaker who disclosed this while delivering his welcome address on resumption from the Christmas and New Year holiday, said the current constitutional review effort is as crucial as the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.
He observed that amending the nation’s constitution to address long standing areas of disagreement and remove the vestiges of militarism from the country’s democracy is one of the central commitments made in the 9th House.
“It is a commitment we must meet or risk the harsh judgment of history. Therefore we will prioritise action to pass the Constitution Amendment Bill in the House of Representatives.
“Fortunately, we are in the final stages of that effort and will shortly conclude this all-important work. According to the Deputy Speaker, the first set of amendments will be forwarded to the State Assemblies for consideration before the end of February,” Hon. Gbajabiamila assured.
While reeling out the 9th Assembly’s scorecard on the legislation passed so far, the Speaker argued that the House has been unusually proactive despite the challenges posed by COVID-19.
He tasked his colleagues on the need to document their efforts as well as success and communicate the same to their constituents across the nation so that they can be judged individually and collectively by their evident accomplishments.
According to him, there is, at the moment, virtually no constituency in the country that hasn’t benefitted from significant investment to improve primary healthcare, rehabilitate classrooms and schools and provide community roads.
Reporting by Ibrahim Shehu, editing by Daniel Adejo