According to senators, the National Assembly was compelled to give constitutional modifications pertaining to the establishment of state police top priority due to the nation’s deteriorating security situation.
The MPs stated that other constitutional amendment bills would be reviewed in stages and that the ruling does not imply that they have been shelved.
According to Naja News, the MPs clarified their position in response to worries that the National Assembly seemed to be focusing more on state police than on other proposed constitutional amendments.
According to Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, lawmakers must concentrate on the issue since insecurity is still Nigerians’ top concern.
Speaking through his Directorate of Media and Public Affairs, Bamidele stated that the 10th National Assembly could not afford to overlook the mounting demand for state police.
The idea has become increasingly urgent, according to the Senate Leader, who also holds the position of Deputy Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, because insecurity continues to endanger people’s lives and property nationwide.
He claims that the choice to focus on state police is a reflection of Nigeria’s current security situation.
Moro: Other Amendment Bills Have Not Been Dropped
Speaking as well, Senate Minority Leader Sen. Abba Moro refuted allegations that lawmakers had given up on other ideas for constitutional amendments.
He clarified that in order to address pressing concerns without having to wait for every proposal to be finished, the Constitution Review Committee purposefully separated the amendment process into phases.
“We’re looking in all directions of constitutional amendments,” stated Moro. We chose to divide up the amendment procedure because this legislative cycle might pass if we wait for each item to be finished before submitting it.
Thus, we’re taking the state police immediately, and there will be more constitutional amendment suggestions shortly. They will also see the light of day in the coming months.
Ndume Supports State, Local Government Police Sen. Ali Ndume, the chairman of the Senate Committee on Army, also supported the action, arguing that security is a government’s top priority.
Ndume stated that in order to increase security at the local level, he has long favored the establishment of state police and even local government police.
“Security is number one,” he declared. In fact, given the state of national security, I have even been supporting local government police.
The senator from Borno South went on to say that the Constitution can be changed at any time to accommodate the nation’s evolving demands.
“The constitution was written by Nigerians and can be amended whenever necessary to meet the exigencies of the time,” he said.
“We should support anything that will increase this nation’s security.” We will continue to seek other parts of constitutional amendment.
Additionally, rather than merely criticizing the planned policing system, Ndume urged Nigerians, particularly the media, to make constructive comments that would assist enhance it.
Senator Anthony Ani, for his part, agreed with the National Assembly’s strategy, stating that it made sense to deal with the nation’s most pressing constitutional issue first.
“We have to think about security because it is a major challenge in this country,” he stated. We can’t take everything at once.
“We will proceed with other constitutional amendment proposals after this matter is resolved.”
The legislators emphasized that the 10th National Assembly is still considering a number of further constitutional change initiatives.
These include bills that call for special seats for women in the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly, 35% affirmative action for women in political appointments, and citizenship rights for Nigerian women who are married to foreigners.
Proposals for independent candidacies, electronic transmission of election results, diaspora voting, and expediting the hearing of election petitions are also included.
A single five-year term for local government chairmen, constitutional roles for traditional rulers, stronger constitutional recognition of local governments as the third tier of government, and financial autonomy for local governments are all goals of other bills.
The senators insisted that although these ideas are still crucial, their top objective right now is to address the nation’s security issues through constitutional changes.
