Constitution Review: National Assembly assures of timely delivery to save cost

……Promises People’s Friendly Constitution

The National Assembly Joint Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution has promised to expedite the review process to save cost and quickly deliver a constitution that will better cater to the interests of the generality of Nigerians.

Deputy Speaker of the House Representatives, Mr. Benjamin Kalu, made the promise in Lagos at a two-day retreat to engage with members of the Judiciary and harvest their inputs to the constitutional review.

Kalu who noted that the time frame for the review was December 2025, said they were making an effort to shorten the process to save cost, giving an assurance that speeding up the process won’t affect the quality of interactions.

“The time frame is December 2025. Ordinarily, over the years, the constitutional review has always been fixed. But I asked, why don’t we put in more effort, stress ourselves more to shorten the time, save cost, and also harvest the opinions of people? But, reducing the time does not mean sacrificing the quality of deliberations and input from the people whom the constitution belongs to”, he said.

The retreat was attended by members of the Senate and House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution and speakers of the State Houses of Assembly, as well as members of the Judiciary.

The Deputy Speaker clarified that the sectoral engagement with members of the Judiciary was intended to improve citizens’ access to justice.

“What we are doing at the moment is engaging with the Judicial. We are not ignoring any stakeholder in any sector. We have done that for gender, today we are doing it with the judiciary because they are the ones that interpret it. What Nigerians should expect is that at the end of this engagement, the input of the judiciary will be harvested and a better constitution that will pursue the justice of everyone in Nigeria will be drafted, awaiting the accent of Mr. President”, he assured.

Kalu explained that during the meeting, stakeholders discussed the possibility of expanding the jurisdiction of certain courts to address contemporary challenges, ways of clarifying the powers and jurisdictions of judicial authorities as well as addressing electoral disputes and upholding the principle of free, fair, and credible elections in Nigeria.

The deputy speaker who described the Judiciary as a pillar of justice, tasked practitioners with upholding the rule of law, protecting individual rights, and ensuring that the Constitution is accurately interpreted and applied.

In his words, ” As one of the three branches of the government, alongside the executive and legislature, the judiciary plays a crucial role in maintaining the balance of power and fostering a just society.

“It plays a pivotal role in the administration of justice, interpretation of laws, upholding the constitution, and ensuring that the rights of citizens are protected and the freedom of individuals are guaranteed.

“Its (judiciary) effectiveness dwells on the principles of independence, fairness, and integrity, which are crucial for sustaining public confidence in the legal system.

“The thematic areas are hinged on the following: the federal structure and devolution of powers, independent candidacy; public revenue, fiscal federation and revenue allocation; legislature; electoral reforms; local government autonomy; fundamental human rights; Nigerian police and security architecture; Judicial reforms; immunity; gender and vulnerable groups; devolution of powers; State creation; traditional institutions; residency and indigenship and governance.

On why the leadership of the State Assemblies was invited to the retreat, he said that it ” is to ensure that we are all on the same page in matters concerning our federation and the constitution that guides our nation. I am supremely confident that this college of leaders will superintend and guide us towards a more perfect union”.

In his remark, the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Mr. Yakubu Maikyau, noted that the nation’s judiciary was well-positioned to deliver quality judgment in the interest of the people.

“The two-day retreat would enable stakeholders in the justice sector to come together and engage with the parliament in the consideration of the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, that require amendment to see the effective and efficient administration of justice in the country”, he said.

“If we have sincere operation of the Constitution that is to say the implementation of the constitution is motivated by honesty and sincerity, to serve the interest of the public, we will not be where we are right now.

“So, that is why in my motion, I said that we should do this exercise honestly and sincerely, having the people of this country in mind as the center of the focus of this exercise because if you get the judiciary right, it means you have got your country right. So, we are expecting to see the right kind of development, harmony, and peace in the country and that is my take from this exercise, he said

Mr. Maikyau said that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu made a wise decision in the appointment of the new Attorney General of the Federation, saying that the nation now has a judiciary that is bold and fearless in defense of the rights of the masses.