By Joy Odor
The Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Chaired by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, is set to hold a 2-day Zonal Public Hearing in six geo-political zones to gather Nigerians’ input on proposed constitutional amendments and shape the country’s future.
This was contained in a press statement made available to newsmen in Abuja on Saturday by Ismail Mudashir, the Special Adviser to the Deputy President of the Senate on Media and Publicity.
The Key Proposals are
– *Local Government Autonomy*: Granting full autonomy to the 774 Local Government Councils, establishing an independent National Local Government Electoral Commission (NALGEC) to organize, conduct, and supervise local government elections.
– *Security and Policing*: Establishing state police and state security councils to coordinate internal security policies at the sub-national level.
– *Fiscal Reforms*: Empowering the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission to enforce compliance of remittance of accruals into and disbursement of revenue from the Federation Account.
– *Gender Equity*: Providing additional seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly.
– *Traditional Institutions*: Establishing the National Council of Traditional Rulers, State Council of Traditional Rulers, and Local Government Council of Traditional Rulers.
Public Hearing
– *Dates*: July 4th and 5th, 2025
– *Locations*: Lagos (South West), Enugu (South East), Ikot Ekpene (South South), Jos (North Central), Maiduguri (North East), and Kano (North West).
The Committee has emphasized the importance of public engagement in shaping the country’s constitution and is calling on everyone to participate in the zonal public hearing.
