By Nathaniel Zaccheaus Abuja
The Senate has postponed the North-West Zonal Public Hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution following the death of renowned businessman and philanthropist Alhaji Aminu Dantata.
The postponement was announced on Tuesday during plenary, as lawmakers observed a minute’s silence in honour of the late elder statesman.
Dantata, a key promoter of the Kano Foundation and an influential figure in Nigerian business and philanthropy, passed away on June 28 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, at the age of 94.
The North-West hearing, originally scheduled to be held in Kano this weekend, was postponed out of respect for his passing and in recognition of his legacy.
Senate President Godswill Akpabio announced an executive session.
He noted that the decision was reached due to the involvement of the Senate’s leadership in the funeral arrangements.
He stated that a new date for the North-West hearing would be determined after consultations with stakeholders in the region.
Deputy Senate President and Chairman of the Senate Ad-Hoc Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, Senator Barau Jibrin, is leading the North-West zonal hearing.
He, however, travelled to Saudi Arabia as head of the federal government delegation for Dantata’s funeral, which was scheduled to take place (yesterday), Tuesday, July 1.
While the North-West hearing has been put on hold, the other five zonal public hearings will proceed as scheduled on Friday, July 5, and Saturday, July 6.
These are to be held in Lagos (South-West), Enugu (South-East), Ikot Ekpene (South-South), Jos (North-Central), and Maiduguri (North-East).
The hearings are part of an extensive national engagement process designed to gather input from Nigerians on proposed amendments to the 1999 Constitution.
High on the agenda are far-reaching reforms, including calls for the creation of 31 new states, the establishment of state police, local government autonomy, electoral reforms, and gender representation.
According to Senator Jibrin’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, the hearings will feature robust discussions on over 50 proposed constitutional amendments.
Key among these is a bill seeking to enshrine the autonomy of local government councils and define their tenure through constitutional guarantees.
This is complemented by another bill proposing the establishment of an independent National Local Government Electoral Commission (NALGEC), which would oversee the conduct and supervision of local government elections nationwide.
On security matters, the public hearings will consider two significant bills: one for the creation of state police and another for the establishment of state security councils to oversee sub-national internal security strategies.
These proposals come amid growing national conversations around restructuring and decentralising Nigeria’s overburdened central policing system.
Fiscal reforms also feature prominently in the agenda.
Six related bills will be discussed, including one aimed at empowering the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC) to enforce compliance in the remittance and disbursement of funds from the Federation Account.
Another bill seeks to constitutionally define the timeframe within which the president or state governors must present budget proposals to the legislature.
Gender inclusivity is also receiving attention. A proposed amendment seeks to reserve additional seats for women in both the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly.
This initiative aligns with growing calls for balanced gender representation in Nigerian politics.
Traditional institutions may also witness significant structural enhancement if proposals to formally establish the National Council of Traditional Rulers, along with state and local government councils for monarchs, are approved.
In the area of electoral reform, the hearings will evaluate a bill advocating for independent candidacy at all levels of elections, which would enable Nigerians to contest elections without being affiliated with a party.
Additionally, there is a proposal for the inclusion of diaspora voting, which would grant voting rights to Nigerians living abroad.
Judicial reforms are also on the table, with over 20 bills aimed at overhauling the judiciary.
Key proposals include setting mandatory timelines for the delivery of judgments and expanding the jurisdiction of election tribunals.
In what many consider a bold step toward the devolution of power, specific proposals suggest transferring items such as labour and shipping from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent List—effectively granting states greater legislative authority in these areas.
Perhaps the most politically sensitive issue is the proposal for state creation.
The Senate committee has received 31 separate memoranda seeking the creation of new states.
These include seven requests from the Northeast, six from the North-West, five each from the South-West and Southeast, three from the North Central, and three from the South East.
The Senate’s Constitution Review Committee has emphasised the importance of citizen participation in the ongoing amendment process.
It urged Nigerians to attend and contribute to the zonal hearings. The committee reiterated that only through inclusive and widespread public input can the constitutional reform process reflect the genuine aspirations of Nigerians.
With the North-West hearing now on hold, stakeholders in the region are expected to reconvene soon to determine a new date for their session.
Meanwhile, the Senate has reaffirmed its commitment to a transparent and participatory constitutional review process as it seeks to address longstanding national issues through legislative action.
