The House of Representatives Committee on the Review of the Constitution convened in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom State on the 24th and 25th of May 2024, for its first retreat. It was attended by more than 35 members of the Committee, technical experts, consultants, the secretariat and staff of the Committee. The retreat was organised by Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) and funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
The opening ceremony on the first day of the retreat, which had in attendance, the President of the Senate, Senator Godswill Akpabio; the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Umo Eno, represented by the Deputy Governor, Senator Akon Eyakenyi; the Chairman of the Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Adebo Ogundoyin and members of the Constitution Review Committee. Also in attendance were experts, bureaucrats of the National Assembly.
In his opening remarks, the Chairman of the Committee and Deputy Speaker of the House of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu stated that the Committee had received 305 proposals from Nigerians while 112 Constitution Alteration bills sponsored by Members are at different stages of consideration in the House of Representatives. He added that the Committee will engage with citizens in all geo-political zones, including a national public hearing in Abuja before the end of 2024.
The Committee deliberated on Constitution alteration proposals from previous National Assemblies, and also reviewed proposals for Constitution alteration contained in memoranda received from the public.
The Committee constituted seven sub-committees to work on the identified issues as follows:
- Local Government Matters
- Judiciary
- Electoral Matters
- State Policing
- Gender Issues
- Human Rights
- Other Special Matters
The Committee reaffirmed its commitment to the timelines that it had set for the completion of its work and transmission of passed bills to the States for their votes and transmission to the President in the second half of 2025.