Draft report of constitution amendment ready August
By Tom Okpe
The first draft report of the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution would be ready in August 2024.
Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu who stated this on Thursday, said the federal legislature would expedite action on the process.
Kalu spoke at a press conference organised by the House Committee on Constitution Review after plenary.
Recall that the committee, upon its inauguration on Monday, gave a 24- month timeline for the conclusion of the exercise.
At the press conference, Kalu who doubles as the chairman of the committee said: “We are pushing to ensure that in our activities, in no distance time, the first draft of the work we are trying to do in the constitution will be ready”.
This, he said, will be subject to approval of the work done by the sub committee. “Let me mention that our target, the first draft of the constitution will be out in August 2024.
“Second draft will be out in October 2024. We will commence zonal inputs from October 2024. We will keep collecting inputs from citizens from 14th October 2024 as we prepare for the last version, or last draft copy of the constitution.
“We are hoping that there will be a harmonisation of the issues, on the 27th, 28th February 2025.
“We are hoping that during a technical working retreat that will take place in February 2025, the Senate and the House of Representatives documents will be harmonised.
“We are optimistic also, that by 12th May 2025, we would have the final clean copy of amendments bills agreed upon.
READ ALSO: Clara Kronborg set for longest interviewing marathon
“We are looking at 22nd May 2025, as a time when we will have final report laid for consideration and voting.
“This is to say that members will be voting on the work we have done on this important date of 22nd May, 2025.
“We are believing that around the 29th of May or 13th we will expect the final concurrence of State Assemblies secured,” Kalu said.
The Deputy Speaker projected August 25 for the transmission of the bills for President Bola Tinubu’s assent and that the final document would be ready by December 2025.
Kalu called for submission of memoranda from interest groups, Civil Society Organizations, (CSOs); labour unions, relevant institutions of government and members of the general public to aid the committee’s work.
Major highlights of the embedment include the federal structure and power devolution; local government autonomy; public revenue, fiscal federation, and revenue allocation; Nigeria Police and Nigeria Security Architecture; Comprehensive Judicial Reforms; Electoral Reforms to strengthen the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) to deliver transparent, credible, free and fair elections; Socio-economic and cultural rights as contained in Chapter 2 of the constitution and traditional Institutions.
Others are issues of gender, strengthening the independence of oversight institutions and agencies created by the constitution or pursuant to an Act of the National Assembly; Residency and Indigene Provisions; Immunity; The National Assembly; Process of State creation and State access to mining.
The committee however, extended the call for memoranda to any other matter that could promote good governance and welfare of the citizenry.
