36 Governors Meet National Assembly Leaders, Reasons Emerge
- 36 state governors and Deputy Speaker Benjamin Kalu pledged commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution
- Governors and the minister of education discussed solutions to Nigeria’s education challenges, emphasizing girl-child education and technology integration
- The Tax Bill was not a focus, with Kalu noting it’s under parliamentary review for alignment with the people’s needs
In a significant meeting aimed at advancing constitutional amendments, 36 state governors, alongside the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, have pledged their commitment to strengthening Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution.
The discussions, held on Thursday, November 21, in Abuja, also focused on several national issues, including education reform and technology integration into governance.
Source: Getty Images
The House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review initiated the engagement, which is part of ongoing efforts to amend the 1999 Constitution.
During the meeting, Kalu emphasized the importance of collaboration between the National Assembly and the governors, proposing the creation of a "one-stop shop" framework to align state-level priorities with the national constitutional review process, Vanguard reported.
“We have had a robust discussion, and I must say the governors made valuable contributions and are in support of the constitutional review.
"We also informed them that we are going to visit their states and geopolitical zones to advance public opinion regarding the thematic areas of the constitution we are reviewing," Kalu said.
Kalu further disclosed that the committee had received approximately 161 areas for amendment, which will be broken down in future engagements, The Punch reported.
Addressing Nigeria’s education challenges
In addition to constitutional matters, the meeting also addressed the ongoing challenges facing Nigeria’s education sector. Kaduna State Governor, Senator Uba Sani, revealed that the forum led by Kwara State Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, stressed the need for data and technology to improve education management systems.
The governors, alongside the Minister of Education, Dr. Maruf Tunji Alausa, discussed strategies to address issues such as out-of-school children and learning poverty, particularly in Nigeria’s North-East and North-West regions.
Key proposals included strengthening collaboration between the federal and state governments, improving girl-child education, integrating vocational training, and leveraging technology for better educational outcomes.
“The governors reaffirmed their commitment to collaborate with the Federal Government and development partners to align efforts towards achieving SDG4,” Governor Sani noted.
Tax bill excluded from discussion
While the meeting covered a wide range of issues, the proposed Tax Bill was not a focus of the discussions.
Kalu clarified that the governors were receptive to all aspects of the constitution being reviewed, though they did not place particular emphasis on tax reform.
“They informed us that the Tax Bill is currently before Parliament and will be critically reviewed and aligned with the wishes of the people we represent,” Kalu explained.
Senate sacks Danladi Umar as CCT chairman
Earlier, Legit.ng reported that the Nigerian Senate sacked Yakubu Danladi Umar as the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal, (CCT) for what it described as unacceptable acts of misconduct.
The sack of Umar as Chairman of CCT was a sequel to two-thirds of Senators as 74 members signed, 10 senators present, a total of 84 Senators.
Proofreading by James, Ojo Adakole, journalist and copy editor at Legit.ng.
Source: Legit.ng
