Constitution review: Kalu, Tinubu, Goje, others head zonal public hearing

The Senate, yesterday, named heads of 12 subcommittees to supervise next week’s zonal public hearing on the review of the 1999 Constitution, as amended. The event scheduled to hold in the six geopolitical zones, will last for two days.

Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, said the exercise would avail Nigerians the opportunity to make submissions on any issue of interest, adding that the National Assembly, on its part, would prioritise such issues, to enhance the welfare and security of citizens. 

In North Central, the Jos Centres consisting of Plateau, Nasarawa and Benue States will be chaired by Abdullahi Adamu; while the Minna Centre consisting of Niger, Kwara, Kogi and FCT is to be chaired Abdullahi Sabi Aliyu.

The North-East Centre, which is split into the Bauchi Centre (Bauchi, Yobe and Borno); and Gombe Centre (Gombe, Taraba and Adamawa) are to be chaired by Senators Abubakar Kyari and Mohammed Danjuma Goje, respectively. 

In the North-West, the Kaduna centre, which covers Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa and Katsina States, has Kabiru Gaya as its Chairman; and the Sokoto centre covering Sokoto, Kebbi and Zamfara States will to be chaired by Muhammed Aliero. 

Senator Orji Uzor Kalu is expected to chair the Owerri centre, which covers Imo and Abia States, while the second centre in Enugu, comprising Enugu, Ebonyi and Anambra states, under the South East geo-political zone, will be chaired by Senator Ike Ekweremadu. 

In the South South Zone, the Asaba centre, which caters for Delta, Edo and Bayelsa states, has James Manager as its chairman, while the Port Harcourt centre, covering Rivers, Cross River and Akwa-Ibom states, will be chaired by Betty Apiafi. 

Additionally, the South West zone has the Lagos centre (Lagos, Oyo and Ogun states); and the Akure centre, which caters for Ondo, Osun and Ekiti states. Both centres are to be chaired by Senators Olufemi Tinubu and Ajayi Boroffice, respectively.

Lawan said: “This is a very important exercise for our country, and I’ll take this opportunity to appeal to all Nigerians who have one issue or the other, which they think the Constitution review of the senate should know to take note and channel their views through the committees in the various centres.”