Gov. Tanko Al-Makura of Nasarawa State on Saturday said that the state’s boundary with the Federal Capital Territory FCT? ought to be well-defined?in the constitution to eliminate?unnecessary controversies.
The governor said this?in Lafia during the public session held on the review of the 1999 constitution.
Al-Makura, who was represented by?his deputy, Mr Dameshi Luka, expressed regret that?the 1999 Constitution failed to reflect?the fact that Nasarawa State was sharing boundary with the FCT.
“Part II of the First Schedule of the constitution clearly defines in detail the boundary lines of the FCT.
“Ironically, Nasarawa State, which practically shares the longest boundary with the FCT, is not mentioned anywhere in the aforementioned definition.
“It is as curious as it is embarrassing because the constitution has been reviewed without correcting this fundamental lapse,” he said.
Al-Makura urged the National Assembly to?rectify the mistake in the coming amendment of the constitution.
On the national minimum wage, the governor stressed that states should be allowed to negotiate wages with their workers in the spirit of true federalism.
He noted that the Federal Government’s pronouncements on the national minimum wage had often pitched states against their workers.
Besides, Al-Makura said that the tenure of local government chairmen and councillors should be clearly defined and guaranteed by the constitution for effective governance.
He, however, called for the abolition of Joint State/Local Government Account so as to grant financial autonomy to the local government as a tier of government.
The governor stressed that the creation of state police should not be considered during the proposed review of 1999 Constitution.
In Itu, Akwa Ibom, Sen Ita Enang, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Rules Ethics and Privileges, pledged the National Assembly’s commitment to ensuring the success of the review of the 1999 Constitution.
He told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that the public session on the constitution’s review was not a mere jamboree, saying that the National Assembly was very eager to receive Nigerians’ input into the process.
“The exercise of this magnitude cannot be a jamboree because we have invited people we represent to come and tell us the way we should vote on each of the issues.
“Therefore, we are honest with the people. Some Nigerians have been clamouring for a sovereign national conference but we don’t want a sovereign conference that is held only at Abuja.
“We are holding the sovereign conference in the 360 federal constituencies, all senatorial districts and Abuja.
“What Nigerians say what we will be put to the vote at the National Assembly,’’ he said.
Enang rejected the notion that the National Assembly had already taken a position on all the issues that would be considered during the constitution’s review process.
“The fact is that you cannot give a chance to people to air their views without guiding them.
“There the House of Representative has prepared 43 issues and the Senate has prepared 16 issues for deliberation and we have said that these are not limited issues.
“If there are matters other than those we presented; the people have the right to add anything or remove anything,’’ he said.
However, in Iwo, Osun, the people of Iwo/Ola-Oluwa/Ayedire Federal Constituency turned out en-masse for the public hearing on the amendment of the 1999 Constitution.
Mr Gbadegesin Adedeji, who chaired the public session, said the event was organised by the National Assembly to address key issues relating to the people’s welfare in moves to revise the constitution.
He said that the National Assembly was working toward the transformation of the constitution into a democratic one since it was the military which designed the current constitution.
Sen. Hussein Mudashiru, senator representing Osun West, told journalists that the constitution’s amendment would enable the government to promote the people’s wellbeing.
He stressed that the people would primarily dictate what the new constitution would look like.
However, the people of Kaduna North, Kaduna South and Igabi federal constituencies voted for the amendment of Section 208 of the 1999 Constitution which grants immunity from prosecution to the president, the vice-president and state governors.
The people were, nonetheless, against the proposed insertion of rotational presidency between the six geopolitical zones?as well as the rotation of the office of?governor among the state’s three senatorial districts.
Their vote reflected their support for the current four-year term of office for the president and state governors.
They, however, rejected the proposal to allow for full federalism, whereby states would be able to control 50 per cent of their resources.
The constituents expressed through their vote their rejection of the proposal to raise the current 13 per cent derivation revenue payable to oil-producing states to 20 per cent.
They also voted against the creation of state police and the recognition the six geopolitical zones as a tier of government.
Results of the public hearing in the areas favoured the abolition of state/local government joint account and the participants wanted increased autonomy for local governments as the third tier of government.
The issues of zoning, indigeneship and presidency took centre stage at the public hearing in Gboko, Benue state.
After much debate, it was agreed that non-indigenes of states should be treated as indigenes if they had been residing the states for a long time.
The participants also agreed, after much debate, that the office of the president and that of the governor should be rotational.
They, however, rejected the proposal to give voting rights to Nigerians living abroad and the suggestion to create specific constitutional roles for traditional rulers.
Meanwhile, the people of Obio/Akpor Federal Constituency have voted for creation of additional states in the country to bring about equity in the six geo-political zones.
Rep. Kingsley Chinda, member representing the area in the House of Representatives, made this known this to journalists in Rumuodomaya after the public session.
Chinda said that the people wanted additional states created across the because of the perceptible imbalance existing in some parts of the country.
He, however stressed that his constituents spoke in favour of state control of resources.
‘“I thank my people very well for saying that every state should have the constitutional right to control at least 50 per cent of its resources.
“Each state would then remit the remaining 50 per cent balance to the Federal Government,’’ he said.
Chinda said that the people wanted the retention of double terms of four years for the president and state governors, adding that they, nonetheless, rejected the creation of the state police.
However, the proposal for local government autonomy dominated the public debate in Awka.
Spearheading the debate, Mrs Rebecca Udoji, member of the Anambra House of Assembly, stressed that the lack of any meaningful development in the rural areas could be attributed to the lack of autonomy in local government administration.
“It can be observed that there is no development at the third tier of government because there is no independence for the system.
“If we truly want the rural areas to be developed, there must be autonomy in the administration of the local government system in the country,” she said.
Udoji, however solicited the abolition of state independent electoral commissions (SEICs), saying that INEC should be saddled with the responsibility of conducting local government elections.
Sharing similar sentiments, Chief Leo Eleanya, the former Chairman of Anambra Local Government Service Commission, wanted the local government autonomy clearly defined in the constitution.
Mrs Tochukwu Omelu, the state Chairman of NUJ, stressed the need to create a definite timetable for the conduct of local government elections, just like the presidential, gubernatorial and legislative polls, in every four years.
Nevertheless, the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in the state stressed that Nigeria actually needed a brand-new constitution and not an amended constitution.
Prof. Ike Odimegwu, the ASUU Chairman in Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, conveyed the union’s position.
He stressed that the current constitution was a “military document’’, which could not solve the myriad problems confronting the country.
“Producing a new constitution should follow a process where the public will deliberate and write the constitution via a constituent assembly.
“Public deliberations on the constitution should be held in villages, towns and states across the country and this should be followed by a referendum,” Odimegwu said. (NAN)