Constitution Review: NASS Scrutinizes Requests for 59 States, 278 Local Governments
The National Assembly has commenced deliberations on the creation of new states and local government areas as part of ongoing efforts to amend the 1999 Constitution. Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, reaffirmed the legislature’s commitment to producing people-centred and timely constitutional amendments that reflect the aspirations of Nigerians.
Speaking at the opening of a two-day joint retreat of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on the Review of the 1999 Constitution in Lagos, Senator Barau said the lawmakers were determined to transmit the first set of amendment proposals to State Houses of Assembly before the end of the year. The retreat, he explained, was convened to allow both committees to critically examine the proposed amendments clause by clause.
According to the Deputy Senate President, a total of 69 bills are currently under consideration, including 55 state creation requests, two boundary adjustment proposals, and 278 requests for the creation of new local government areas. He noted that the review process had been ongoing for two years, during which the National Assembly engaged constituents, civil society organisations, institutions, and interest groups through town hall meetings, interactive sessions, and public hearings to gather diverse perspectives.
“It has been a long journey to bring together the Senate and House of Representatives’ Constitution Amendment proposals that cut across several sections and address different subject matters,” Barau stated in a release signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir. He added that the compilation of the proposed amendments reflected the views and yearnings of Nigerians across the country.
As Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review, Barau emphasised that the joint committees would harmonise and make recommendations to their respective chambers for further legislative action. He acknowledged the task ahead as complex but expressed confidence in the lawmakers’ ability to achieve it within the two-day retreat, reiterating their commitment to meet the timeline set for submission to the states.
Barau, who also serves as the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, urged committee members to approach the exercise with open minds and a sense of patriotism. He cautioned against partisan or divisive debates, stressing the need to prioritise national unity and collective progress.
“We are seated here as one committee. There should be no ‘we’ and ‘them’. We must be guided by the interests of Nigerians,” he said. The Deputy Senate President further expressed hope that the final recommendations from the retreat would meet the approval threshold as stipulated under Section 9 of the Constitution.