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  Nigeria is set to experience a series of constitutional reforms, as members of the Senate and the House of Representatives will vote on 68 proposed amendments to the 1999 Constitution that may be approved as laws or not, after a series of hearings, proceedings and the final assent of the executive President.
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Both chambers have deliberated and will vote independently on the amendments during plenary sessions.  The amendments are coming on the heels of several clamours by statesmen, private and public office holders, legal luminaries, and ordinary citizens of the country, who have pointed out that the Constitution is due for amendments to make it suit the exigencies of the current state of the country. The ad hoc committee constituted to review the document, led by Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege and Deputy Speaker Ahmed Idris Wase, laid the report containing the proposed amendments before both chambers separately, last week.  Some of the crucial amendments on which the legislators will vote include: First, abrogation of both state and local governments’ joint accounts; Second, financial autonomy for state assemblies and judiciary; Third, the power of the legislature to summon the president, governors, government officials and heads of departments and agencies for questioning on crucial matters; Fourth, life pension for the presiding officers of the National Assembly; Fifth, legislative backing for virtual court proceedings; Sixth, a stipulated law that can enable diaspora voting; Seventh, the special quota for women which include extra seats for women in the parliament, 20% of the ministerial and commissioner positions to be occupied by women;  Eighth, complete autonomy of the local government;
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Ninth, legal provision for independent candidacy during elections; Tenth, creation of the office of mayor for Abuja,  Eleventh, power of immunity for the presiding officers of the legislature; Twelfth, stipulated timeframe for appointing ministers and commissioners; Fourteenth, legal provisions for the expansion of the scope of citizenship by registration; Fifteenth, separation of the office of the attorney general from the Minister of Justice and  Sixteenth, moving VAT to exclusive legislative list. The legislators are required to vote on the bills electronically. The present alterations of the Nigerian Constitution will be the fifth since the document came into effect in 1999. For the amendment and voting procedure to be successful, two-thirds membership of the entire Senate (or House) is expected. While some provisions in the amendment document will require the votes of four-fifths membership of the chamber to become a success. Finally, after the review and voting have been done by both chambers, the approved bills will be forwarded to the 36 State Houses of Assembly for voting and approval. Each alteration passed by the National Assembly must receive the support of a majority of votes in at least two-thirds of State Houses of Assembly in the federation. The amendments that receive such approvals will be sent to the president for assent. Featured image source: Premium Times
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This article was first published on 3rd March 2022

nnaemeka-emmanuel

Nnaemeka is an academic scholar with a degree in History and International Studies from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka. He is also a creative writer, content creator, storyteller, and social analyst.

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