The House of Representatives Committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution is considering about 46 requests for the creation of new states and 117 requests for new local government areas across the 36 states of the federation.

The House Committee is also considering two. Requests for boundary adjustment as well as about 86 Constitution amendment bills passed by the House.

The North Central is leading the pack for the request for new states with 12 requests, followed by the South West with 8 requests, the North West and South-south have 7 requests each, while the North East and South East have 6 requests each.

The North East has 22 requests for the creation of a new local government, the North West has 14 requests, North Central has 21 requests, South East has 24 requests, Southwest has 12 requests, while the South-South has 24 requests.

Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review and Deputy Speaker of the House, Benjamin Kalu, said he segmented all the memoranda and bills received by the committee into different categories to aid the public in making their contributions to the process.

He listed the areas of attention as Electoral Reforms, Judicial Reforms, the Legislature, Inclusive Governance, Security and Policing, Devolution of Powers, Strengthening of Institutions, Traditional Institutions, Fiscal Reforms, Citizenship and Indigeneship, Fundamental Human Rights, Local Government Reform, as we’ll as Creation of States & Local Governments.

Kalu asked Nigerians to participate fully in the process of reviewing the 1999 constitution to bring it to our expectations, saying those who refuse to participate in the exercise should not complain later.

He said the continuous review of the Constitution is necessary as the nation’s democracy advances because it will enhance the development of the country, since there are always areas of improvement on the nation’s legal document.

He said the House Committee was committed to ensuring broader participation by Nigerians and other critical stakeholders in amending the Constitution and has therefore segmented the country into 12 zones for effective coverage during the public hearing, which will be held in two houses.

The first phase which is scheduled to hold between July 11 and 13 will take place in Kaduna and Sokoto for the North West, Minna and Lafia for the North Central as well as Gombe and Borno for the North East.

The second phase scheduled for July 18 to 20 will take place in Lagos and Akure for the South West, Yenagoa and Calabar for the South South as well as Enugu and Owerri for the South East, while the national public hearing will hold on Monday, July 21, 2025 in Abuja.

Kalu said these “hearings are designed to provide an open platform for citizens, civil society organisations, professional bodies, traditional institutions, and other interest groups to express their views and contribute meaningfully to the constitutional reform process.

He said further that “86 Constitution Review Bills currently under consideration in the House will be presented to the general public in the form of a compressed compendium consisting of a collation of explanatory memoranda, long titles and a comprehensive exposé of the Bills for their inputs.

“The Bills, sponsored by Members of the House, represent legislative efforts aimed at addressing various developmental challenges affecting governance practices in Nigeria.

He said the bills have been summarized in a compendium as reference material to all stakeholders and members of the public during the Zonal Public Hearings, thereby enabling them to understand the legislative proposals.

The compendium, he said is also to facilitate public engagement by allowing citizens to seek clarifications, critically examine the Bills based on their subject matter, and contribute through constructive input, while fostering the exchange of ideas during the Hearings, thereby providing Members of the House with valuable insights into the expectations and concerns of their constituents and the wider public.

This, he said, will help guide their legislative actions and inform their decisions when the Bills are brought up for voting, while also providing feedback to members of the public who submitted memoranda, informing them whether and how their concerns have been addressed in the proposed amendments.

He called on all stakeholders and the general public to actively participate in the zonal and national public hearings, as their contributions and inputs are crucial to the success of the constitutional review process. (The Nation)