In a significant move toward restructuring Nigeria’s governance framework, Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, has shed light on the objectives of the ongoing constitution amendment process.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, shortly after the inauguration of the Constitution Amendment Committee by Speaker Tajudeen Abbas, Kalu emphasized that a key focus of the amendment would be the devolution of powers.
The Deputy Speaker pointed out that the reform aims to redistribute some responsibilities currently on the exclusive list to the concurrent list, thereby granting state governments more autonomy and authority over certain areas.
Kalu mentioned that while previous amendments had already initiated this process of unbundling, state governments have yet to fully leverage the opportunities these changes offer.
This initiative represents a pivotal effort by the National Assembly to address long-standing calls for a more balanced distribution of legislative powers between the federal and state governments.
By moving certain items to the concurrent list, the amendment seeks to empower states to enact and implement policies in areas previously monopolized by the federal government, potentially leading to more responsive and tailored governance at the state level.
Kalu said, “The states are empowered now to generate power and distribute around their places, the same thing with railway. I don’t see the reason why most states are not yet domesticating this particular law.
“We noticed that we made this amendment, most of the state laws have not captured it, and this is my way of saying that in our appraisal of impact analyses of previous reviews, some states are found wanting, especially those states that have not domesticated these amendments in their various state laws.
“This will enable them adopt what I call regional economic integration policy where a railway could run around South-West increasing trades and increasing market among the people around there and other use of railway lines and other regions as well, they are not making use of that.”
The deputy speaker further said with the unbundling of prisons from the exclusive list to the concurrent list, state governments would be allowed to manage correctional services.
He also mentioned that the Constitution Amendment Committee will be looking into the issue of state police which has dominated discussions in recent time as solution to the insecurity in Nigeria.
Kalu, however, said that even though state police is being touted as the solution to the problem of insecurity, it must be designed in a way that state governors would not abuse it.
He added, “The devolution of power also we are looking at state police. How do we add value to the security of this nation which is the primary purpose of government? And we are looking at this one layered police service.
“Is it sufficient? 400,000 policemen, are they adequate? Is there any other thing we can do to ensure that policing is more comprehensive, more thorough, more result-oriented than it has been?
“I can assure you people are tinkering the state police as one of the options, but it must be fine-tuned to reflect the desires of Nigerians and to cure the fear that it might become a monster in the hands of the governors if not well structured, we are looking at that.”
He noted that during public, civil engagements and public hearing, the committee will get inputs from Nigerians on how they think is best way to structure some of the ideas proposed for the reforms.
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