By Atoyebi Nike
The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin, has reaffirmed the National Assembly’s resolve to deliver people-centred and timely amendments to the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria.
Senator Barau made the pledge at the opening of a two-day joint retreat of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on the Review of the 1999 Constitution held in Lagos, South West Nigeria.
The retreat, organised to allow lawmakers to review proposed amendments clause by clause, is considering a total of 69 bills, 55 state creation requests, two boundary adjustments, and 278 local government creation requests.
Speaking through a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, Senator Barau commended the extensive and inclusive nature of the review process, which he said had spanned two years of consultations with citizens, institutions, civil society organisations, and other critical stakeholders through town hall meetings and public hearings.
“It has been a long journey to bring together the Senate and House of Representatives’ Constitution Amendment proposals, which cut across several sections and address various subject matters,” Barau said.
He stressed that lawmakers must work with open minds and national interest at heart to meet the target of transmitting the first set of amendments to State Houses of Assembly before the end of 2025.
“It is not going to be a simple task to achieve within two days, but I believe we can do it, especially as we have promised Nigerians that we will deliver the first set of amendments before the end of this year,” he added.
Barau, who also serves as the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, urged members of the joint committee to put aside partisan considerations and focus on constitutional reforms that reflect the aspirations of all Nigerians.
“We are seated here as one committee. There should be no ‘we’ and ‘them.’ We must be guided by the collective interest of Nigerians. I wish all of us fruitful deliberations and look forward to recommendations that will meet the approval threshold of Section 9 of the Constitution,” he said.
The ongoing constitutional review process is part of a broader effort by the 10th National Assembly to strengthen governance, deepen democracy, and address structural imbalances within the Nigerian federation.
