Constitution Review: Southwest Governors, Federal Lawmakers Meet to Agree on Yoruba Agenda
- The ongoing constitutional review presents an opportunity for ethnic blocs in Nigeria to present a harmonised stance
- Political leaders in the southwest region have commenced discussions on how to have a uniform stance at the review
- The leaders met recently and pledged to work together for the benefit of their people in the southwest region of the country
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FCT, Abuja - Southwest governors, senators, and House of Representatives members have agreed to present a common position for Nigeria’s constitution review.
They also set up a committee to harmonise the positions of the governors and lawmakers from the zone.
Source: Facebook
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Resolutions at the meeting aimed at having uniform stance on Yoruba demands
The Punch newspaper reports that the agreement was reached after their Tuesday, July 6 meeting in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja.
According to the report, the meeting was attended by the six southwest governors and the National Assembly members from the zone.
Ondo state governor and chairman of the Southwest Governors’ Forum, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, said:
“The committee is to harmonise our positions so that we can present it as and when necessary before the two houses and, at the end of the day, have the Constitutional amendment that has our serious input.”
Constitutional review as a source for addressing deep-rooted challenges
In another report, the Punch newspaper quoted the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, as saying the ongoing constitutional amendments are geared towards addressing Nigeria’s foundational problems.
Gbajabiamila also called for collaboration between the National Assembly and the 36 state Houses of Assembly to make the ongoing exercise successful.
On his part, Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom state said only the passage of the Electoral Bill to reform and reposition Nigeria's electoral system will restore the confidence of the Nigerian people in the 9th National Assembly.
The governor also said the move will demonstrate the National Assembly's sincerity with the constitutional review by first passing the pending Electoral Bill.
He made the comment while hosting members of the special House of Representatives committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution for south-south states, who paid a courtesy visit to his office after the second day of the public hearing for Rivers, Cross River, and Akwa Ibom states in Uyo.
Also speaking on the exercise, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state on Thursday, June 3 advocated for the devolution of powers to states and local governments to stop overburdening the federal government with many responsibilities.
According to him, the federal government is overburdened with many responsibilities in the exclusive list, making it encumbered and inefficient.
He stated that states and local governments were closer to the people and required more funds to execute life-changing projects that would be beneficial to the people.
Source: Legit.ng
