Speaker of the House and Chairman of the 1999 Constitutional Review Committee. honor. Benjamin Kalu revealed that none of the 31 requests submitted to the creation of the state did not meet the constitutional requirements.
Kalu disclosed on Friday, February 21, during a two-day retreat of the committee members at Ikot Ekpene in Akwa Ibom State, where members gathered to review the yet-to-be-constitutional amendment and for the move forward to develop strategies in a way.
The retreat from 20-23 February 2025 was organized by the Tenth House in partnership with the Center for Policy and Legal Advocacy (PLAC) and supported by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Kalu acknowledges the importance of national creation in governance in Nigeria, and while the demands reflect the aspirations of various communities, they fail to meet the legal benchmarks considered.
“Although we have received 31 national creation requests, none of these requests meet the constitutional requirements of the amendment,” Kalu said.
In response, the Commission extended the deadline for submissions to 5 March 2025 for further input and possible revisions. He also pointed out that the deadline could be further extended based on the results of the retreat.
“From then, we extend the submission date to March 5, 2025. However, if we find out, our resolution may be extended further if we find the challenges that the people we represent are working to make their voices hear. the challenge faced by the , he said.
“So, at the end of this retreat, this will be one of the things we will look into – whether we will extend the time or not. But please note that the conditions stipulated in Article 8 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria are not followed.”
Karu also revealed that the House Committee is currently reviewing 151 constitutional amendments aimed at improving Nigeria’s governance. Although some bills have advanced to second reading, others are still in their initial stages.
He noted that a major challenge during the review process was duplication, where multiple bills address similar issues under different sponsors, resulting in overlap. To simplify efforts, the Commission has classified these bills as subject areas, including federal structure and decentralization, local government autonomy, public revenue and fiscal federations, tax distribution, police and security reform, judicial reform, election reform, gender issues, Human rights, human rights, human rights and state creation.
Kalu stressed the importance of prioritizing amendments based on national interests and legislative relevance.
To ensure a comprehensive and coordinated approach, the Committee invited the House and Senate committees to lead in retreating election affairs, given the intersection between the constitutional amendment and the election law. “A proactive and collaborative approach will ensure seamless legislative processes and comprehensive legal reforms,” he said.
As part of the next phase of the constitutional review, the commission arranged regional and national open hearings in six geopolitical zones to give Nigerians the opportunity to contribute to the amendment.
Hearing will be held in the central central (Nasarawa and Niger states), northeast (Borno and Gombe states), northwest (Kaduna and Sokoto states), southeast (Enugu and Imo states), south-south (Bayersa and Cross River). country) and southwest (Lagos and Ondo states).
Karu urged lawmakers to work hard and objectively on the amendment to ensure they truly reflect the will of the Nigerian people. “As lawmakers, we must ensure that the voice of Nigerians is reflected in our constitutional reform,” he said.
He also guaranteed a renewed commitment to the transparent and inclusive constitutional review process, expressing confidence that the Commission’s consideration would strengthen Nigeria’s democratic and governance structure.
Mr. Clement Nwankwo, executive director of Plac, praised the committee’s dedication and expressed optimism about its ability to provide meaningful reforms.
“We are very confident that the Commission intends to fulfill the tasks it sets for itself, which will be a key and a huge victory to see the constitutional amendment delivered within the timeframe set by this Commission,” Nnwankwo said. .
“We are looking forward to a wonderful review. The colleagues who co-convened the project with me have been meeting and making recommendations for the committee over the past few months,” he added.
