The Senate has said it will today kick off public hearings on the review of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

The hearings will start in Lagos for the Southwest Zone and in four other states.

The public hearings are aimed at subjecting proposals for the creation of 18 additional local governments, the establishment of state police, and far-reaching reforms of the electoral system, among others, to public discourse.

The Red Chamber also said it had scheduled to simultaneously hold similar public hearings in other geopolitical zones across the federation, except the Northwest.

The postponement of the Northwest public hearing was due to the demise of Kano’s prominent businessman and philanthropist, Alhaji Aminu Alhassan Dantata, which occurred last Saturday.

Leader of the Senate and Chairman for Southwest Zone, Constitution Review Committee, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele, reeled out the programmes for the two-day zonal public hearings yesterday in Abuja.

Bamidele said the public hearings offer Nigerians the opportunity to contribute to thorny issues affecting the country’s governance structure.

The 10th Senate had constituted the Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution on February 14, 2024, a 45-man committee with Senate Deputy President Barau Jubrin and Senate Leader Bamidele as Chairman and Vice Chairman.

The committee had subsequently received diverse proposals on inclusive reforms, institutional reforms, security and policing, fundamental rights and objectives, system and structure of government, reforms of the judiciary, roles of the traditional institutions in government, reforms of the local government, reforms of the fiscal environment and electoral reforms, among others.

Based on the development, Bamidele announced that the public hearing for the Southwest Zone would be held at Water Crest Hotel, Ikeja, Lagos, today and tomorrow.

One of the proposals, according to Bamidele, is the Bill seeking to alter the 1999 Constitution to provide for the establishment of state police or other state government security agencies.

Also, Bamidele said the Bill seeks to alter the 1999 Constitution to establish the State Security Council to advise state governors on matters relating to public security and safety among the federating units.

Bamidele cited another Bill, which seeks to transfer labour, industrial relations, industrial disputes, and minimum wage from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List in the constitution.

He said: “There is a proposal Bill to transfer control of interstate waterways from the Exclusive Legislative List to the Concurrent Legislative List, thereby granting both the federal and state governments the power to legislate on matters relating to shipping and navigation on interstate waterways.”

He added: “There is a proposal to ensure that every local government in each state has at least one member representing the local government in the House of Assembly to ensure equity, fairness, and attract democratic dividends to inhabitants of each local government of the state.” (The Nation)