The Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution has announced plans to conduct comprehensive two-day public hearings across Nigeria's six geopolitical zones to gather citizens' input on proposed constitutional amendments.
According to a statement by Ismail Mudashir, Special Adviser to the Deputy President of the Senate on Media and Publicity, the hearings will be held simultaneously in Lagos (South West), Enugu (South East), Ikot Ekpene (South South), Jos (North Central), Maiduguri (North East), and Kano (North West) on July 4th and 5th, 2025.
Key Constitutional Amendments Under Consideration
The committee, chaired by Deputy Senate President Barau I Jibrin, will examine several critical national issues during the hearings. These include local government autonomy, electoral and judicial reforms, state creation, state police, and inclusive governance.
One of the key proposals seeks to establish local government councils as a distinct tier of government, guaranteeing their democratic existence and tenure. This forms part of a renewed push to grant full autonomy to Nigeria's 774 local government councils.
Another bill proposes the creation of an independent National Local Government Electoral Commission (NALGEC) to organize, conduct, and supervise local government elections.
Security and Fiscal Reforms
The public hearings will also consider two bills on security and policing that aim to establish state police and state security councils to coordinate internal security policies at the sub-national level.
Six bills on fiscal reforms will be discussed, including one to empower the Revenue Mobilization, Allocation, and Fiscal Commission to enforce compliance with remittance of accruals into and disbursement of revenue from the Federation Account. Another bill seeks to specify the period within which the president or state governors must present appropriation bills before the National Assembly or State Houses of Assembly.
Gender Equity and Electoral Reforms
In a move toward gender equity, the committee will consider a bill to provide additional seats for women in the National and State Houses of Assembly.
Electoral reforms will also feature prominently, with proposals to allow independent candidacy at all levels of election and enable diaspora voting for Nigerians abroad.
Judicial Overhaul and State Creation
Over 20 bills seeking to overhaul Nigeria's judiciary will be considered, including provisions for timelines for judgment delivery and expanded jurisdiction for election tribunals.
The committee has also received 31 proposals on state creation, with five requests each from the South West, South South, and North Central zones, seven from the North East, six from the North West, and three from the South East.
The committee has emphasized the importance of public engagement in shaping the country's constitution and has called on all Nigerians to participate in the zonal public hearings.
Additionally, proposals have been made to transfer items like labour and shipping from the Exclusive to the Concurrent Legislative List, representing a bold push for devolution of powers.
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