The Senate has disclosed that it would kick off its public hearing on the review of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) in Lagos on Friday, aimed at subjecting proposals for the creation of 18 additional local governments, establishment of state police and far-reaching reforms of the electoral system, among others, to public discourse.

The upper chamber has also scheduled to simultaneously hold similar public hearings in other geopolitical zones across the federation, except the North-West.

The Northwest public hearing was postponed due to the demise of Kano’s prominent businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, which occurred on Saturday.

Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, leader of the Senate and Chairman of the South-West Zone Constitution Review Committee, reeled out the programmes for the two-day zonal public hearing on Thursday, noting that the forum offers Nigerians the opportunity to contribute to thorny issues affecting the country’s governance structure.

The 10th Senate constituted the Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution on February 14, 2024. It is a 45-man committee with the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jubrin, and the Leader of the Senate, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, as Chairman and Vice Chairman, respectively.

Subsequently, the committee received diverse proposals on inclusive reforms, institutional reforms, security and policing, fundamental rights and objectives, the system and structure of government, reforms of the judiciary, the roles of traditional institutions in government, reforms of the local government, reforms of the fiscal environment, and electoral reforms, among others.

After this development, Bamidele found out that the public hearing of the South-west Zone would be held in Water Crest Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, between Friday and Saturday, saying it would offer Nigerians the opportunity to contribute to debates on these areas of consideration.

According to Bamidele, one of the proposals is the bill seeking to alter the 1999 Constitution to establish state police or other state government security agencies.

Likewise, Bamidele revealed that the bill seeks to alter the 1999 Constitution to establish the State Security Council to advise State Governors on public security and safety matters among the federating units.

Bamidele cited another bill that seeks to transfer labour, industrial relations, industrial disputes, and minimum wage from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List in the constitution.

He said: “There is a proposal bill to transfer control of interstate waterways from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, thereby granting both the federal and state governments the power to legislate on matters relating to shipping and navigation on interstate waterways.”

He also said, “There is a proposal to ensure that every local government in each state has at least one member representing the local government in the House of Assembly to ensure equity, fairness and attract democratic dividends to inhabitants of each local government of the State.”

Under electoral reforms, Bamidele cited proposals seeking independent candidature for qualified citizens to elective positions and diaspora voting for Nigerians living outside the country.

He also mentioned requests for consequential reforms of the country’s fiscal environment, which, in the main, sought a timeframe within which the President or a State Governor would lay the Appropriation Bill before the National Assembly or House of Assembly.

“The proposals further canvass the period within which the President or Governor may authorise the withdrawal of monies from the Consolidated Revenue Fund in the absence of an Appropriation Act from six months to three months.

“The proposals seek to provide for revision of the derivation formula by including other revenues generated within each state of the Federation,” the zonal chairman of the Constitution Review Committee notes.

Bamidele also cited a proposal to reposition political parties so that they can resolve every pre-election dispute internally without recourse to the court.

While there are 18 requests for the creation of local government areas nationwide, Bamidele said the committee had received 31 proposals for the creation of additional states, six from the North-west, eight from the North Central, five from the South-east, six from the Northeast, six from the South, and four from the South-west.

Bamidele further revealed that seven requests for the creation of new local government areas had been received from North-west, five from North-central, one from North-east, three from South-south, one from South-east and one from South West.