…The composition of the Committee is representative, comprising one member from each of the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT.
…It is chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, while the House Leader, Hon. (Prof) Julius Ihonvbere, is the Committee’s Deputy Chairman.
…the Committee will also have six additional women, one from each of the six geo-political zones.
MON, FEB 26 2024-theGBJournal| The House Committee on the Review of the Constitution (CRC) of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) has been inaugurated.
”Yet another significant moment in our democratic journey towards a more ‘perfect union” according to Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Speaker Federal House of Representatives, who chaired the Committees’ inauguration today in Abuja.
The composition of the Committee is representative, comprising one member from each of the 36 states of the Federation and the FCT.
It is chaired by the Deputy Speaker, Hon. Benjamin Kalu, while the House Leader, Hon. (Prof) Julius Ihonvbere, is the Committee’s Deputy Chairman.
According to Speaker Tajudeen, ”To ensure greater inclusion, the Committee will also have six additional women, one from each of the six geo-political zones.
Furthermore, the House Zonal Caucus Leaders have been co-opted in an advisory capacity to advise the Committee on issues relating to their respective zones.
Lastly, the Committee’s secretariat will also include a representative of people living with disabilities to ensure that their concerns are properly accommodated.”
The mandate of the Committee is to receive and consider proposals for alteration of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), create a forum for stakeholders and the public to make inputs into the review process and collaborate with the Senate and the State Houses of Assembly as required by law.
The Speaker noted that the task before the Constitution Review Committee is profound, and the House Agenda is ambitious in its scope and encompasses wide-ranging issues pivotal to our national growth.
Tajudeen outlined the scope of the Constitution Review Committee to include- devolution of powers, including state policing; enhancement of fiscal federalism through local government autonomy; further decongesting the Exclusive Legislative List; recognising and assigning constitutional roles for traditional institutions; and promoting inclusivity, particularly greater gender equity and women representation into appointive and elective positions.
”In making recommendations and proposals that potentially have far-reaching impacts (such as state police), I strongly recommend that we adopt a scientific approach grounded in empirical evidence rather than ideology, personal beliefs, or political expediency,” the Speaker told the Committee members.
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