Senate suspends meeting for a public hearing on reviewing the constitution
Senate suspends a meeting for a public hearing on reviewing the constitution for one week, beginning from next week Tuesday, the 25th of May, 2021.
The Senate has announced suspension of plenary for one week, beginning from Tuesday next week, to allow its members to take part in the zonal public hearing on constitution review that will be held all across the country.
Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, made the announcement at plenary, yesterday (Wednesday, 19th May 2021). He stated that the exercise would hold at 12 centres in the geo-political zones on May 26 and 27, 2021.
He encouraged Nigerians to be fully involved in the exercise, assuring Nigerians that National Assembly has no preconceived plans and would be very open to suggestions on how to move the country forward.
“This is a very important exercise for our country. I appeal to all Nigerians who have one issue or the other that they think the constitution review committee of the Senate should know and address, to go to the center nearest to them.
“We are plain, we don’t have any preconceived or predetermined position on anything. The myriads of issues that Nigerians want to be addressed to make the country better, to make citizens secured and enhance the welfare of our people must be brought for consideration.
“Because of this very important assignment by this important committee of the senate, the senate will suspend plenary through next week to enable not only the committee members but the rest of us participate in the exercise.”
Initially, Lawan read a letter from the Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee and Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, announcing that the committee would hold its zonal public hearing to review the 1999 Constitution on the 26th and 27th of May, 2021.
According to him, the public hearing is scheduled to hold at two centres in each of the six geo-political zones.
In the North-Central, there will be a center in Jos where people from Plateau, Nasarawa, and Benue states can take part in the public hearing under the chairmanship of Senator Abdullahi Adamu (APC Nasarawa), while the second center will be in Minna to ensure people from Niger, Kwara and Kogi states, as well as FCT, can attend under the chairmanship of Senator Sabi Abdullahi (APC-Niger).
The Bauchi center belongs to the North-East, people from Bauchi, Yobe and Borno states will participate in the public hearing with Senator Abubakar Kyari (APC-Borno) as chairman, while the second centre, which consists of Gombe, Taraba, and Adamawa states, has Senator Goje Danjuma (APC Gombe) as chairman.
For North-West, Kaduna has a center made up of Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa and Katsina states and Senator Gaya Kabiru (APC Kano) will be the chairman presiding over the meeting, while the Sokoto centre consists of Sokoto, Zamfara and Kebbi states with Senator Adamu Alero (APC-Kebbi) as chairman.
In the South-East Zone, Owerri is the center where people from Imo and Abia states will be part of the public hearing under the chairmanship of Senator Orji-Uzor Kalu (APC Abia), while the Enugu center, made up of Enugu, Anambra, and Ebonyi states, will be chaired by Senator Ike Ekweremadu (PDP-Enugu).
For the South-South zone, there is a center in Asaba to attend to people from Delta, Edo, and Bayelsa states under the chairmanship of Senator James Manager (PDP-Delta), while Port Harcourt center will be chaired by Senator Berty Apiafi (PDP-Rivers), and people from Rivers, Akwa-Ibom and Cross-River states can attend.
In the South-West zone, Lagos is the center where people from Lagos, Oyo, and Ogun states will participate in the public hearing chaired by Senator Oluremi Tinubu (APC-Lagos), while the Akure center to be chaired by Senator Ajayi Boroffice (APC-Ondo) will be attended by people from Ondo, Osun and Ekiti states.
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