The Nigerian Senate has reaffirmed the National Assembly’s commitment to delivering amendments to the 1999 Constitution that are both people-centred and timely.
This assurance came during the two-day joint retreat of the Senate and House of Representatives’ Committees on the Review of the 1999 Constitution held in Lagos.
Deputy Senate President Senator Barau I. Jibrin (APC, Kano North) urged lawmakers to ensure that the first set of constitutional amendments is transmitted to the State Houses of Assembly within the year. The retreat was organized to enable members of the joint committees to review the proposed amendments thoroughly “clause by clause,” emphasizing careful and deliberate deliberation.
A total of 69 bills, 55 state creation requests, two boundary adjustments, and 278 local government creation requests are set to be considered during the retreat. In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, Senator Jibrin noted, “It has been a long journey to bring the Senate and House of Representatives Constitution Amendment proposals that cut across several sections and deal with different subject matters. We have been engaged in this process for the past two years, consulting constituents, stakeholders, institutions, civil society organizations, and interest groups through town hall meetings, interactive sessions, and public hearings. This process has culminated in 69 bills, 55 state creation requests, two boundary adjustments, and 278 local government creation requests.”
As chair of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, Senator Jibrin highlighted that the committee is tasked with resolving these issues and making recommendations to colleagues in both chambers. He acknowledged the challenge of completing such an extensive review within two days but expressed confidence that it could be achieved.
Senator Jibrin further stressed the importance of prioritizing the interests of Nigerian citizens over partisan or competitive debates. “We represent constituents with diverse ethnic, religious, and socio-economic backgrounds through different political platforms. However, the Constitution is the grundnorm for Nigerian citizens and nationhood, which we must approach with patriotism and nationalism as higher shared goals,” he said.
He also called on lawmakers to act as a unified committee, avoiding divisive “we” and “them” approaches. “We are seated here as one committee. There should be no ‘we’ and ‘them’; we should be guided by the interests of Nigerians. I wish all of us a very fruitful deliberation and hope for recommendations that will meet the approval threshold of the provisions of Section 9 of the Constitution,” Senator Jibrin concluded.