The Constitution Review Committee of the House of Representatives would meet with the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) on July 23 to present bills currently under consideration and seek their support for passage.
Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker and chairman of the committee made the disclosure while unveiling a detailed timeline of activities at a meeting of the panel on Wednesday at the National Assembly.
Kalu said: “We urge members to work assiduously to ensure the current bills before the committee are passed by December, while also considering the possibility of a second round of amendments, as new bills are still being sponsored by members.
“Steady progress is being made on our work plan implementation and our targets are achievable. However, there are some crucial activities that ought to be accomplished within the given timeframe.
“The second meeting/engagement with the NGF is expected to be held on Wednesday, July 23.
“The meeting is to present the bills currently under consideration to them as requested during previous engagements, seek their support on the proposed amendments, and secure buy-in and backing for passage of contentious bills.
“Joint Retreat of Senate and house constitution review members with Speakers/Clerks of the 36 State Houses of Assembly to harmonise bills will hold from September 25 to September 28.”
According to him, there would be a constitution review committee Diplomatic Dinner on June 20 to seek support and collaboration from the diplomatic community on some specific thematic areas like gender, security architecture and state policing to promote global best practices.
“There will also be an engagement with Civil Society Organisations, Community Based Organisations as part of the national assembly Open Week holding on July 3.
“The engagement will bring expertise and alternative perspectives to the constitutional review process, helping to shape our legislative decisions, by highlighting deficiencies and proposing further debates.
“It will also promote transparency, accountability and inclusivity in the processes, by ensuring that all stakeholders are informed and engaged.
“Engagement with Media Executives: (Guild of Editors, NUJ, NBAN etc) will hold on July 8 or July 9 in Abuja.
“The meeting is to facilitate public discussions, debates, and education on constitutional issues, helping to build consensus and foster a sense of ownership among citizens.
“The committee will also meet with Speakers of the 36 State Houses of Assembly in a joint retreat with Senate Constitution Review members to harmonise bills and ensure consistency across the country.
The committee will also meet with the Nigerian Broadcasters Association (NBN); civil society organisations and the diplomatic community.
According to him, the media can play vital roles in ensuring that the constitution review process is inclusive, transparent, and the public is well-informed.
Kalu also gave a timeline of the anticipated public and national hearings on the bills as well as a meeting with the 18 registered political parties in the country, saying that the idea is to ultimately aggregate the views of Nigerians.
“As discussed in our previous meetings, the committee is poised to subject the 87 prioritised bills that have passed second reading to Public Hearings in each of the six geopolitical zones.
“Zonal chairmen and their deputies are expected to liaise with states under their jurisdictions to ensure active participation in their respective zones.
“The hearings will hold as follows: Northern Geopolitical Zones – July 11 to July 13, Southern Geopolitical Zones – July 18 to July 20.
“National Public Hearing – July 21, Engagement with Nigeria Political Parties (18 Registered Political Parties Leadership) is expected to hold on July 14, in Abuja.
“This is amongst other engagements to facilitate public discussions and education on constitutional issues, promoting transparency and accountability in the review process.”
He said the meetings are part of the committee’s efforts to ensure the successful passage of key bills in the review by December.
He also stated that the house will hold a one week plenary debate on the bills while voting on them is expected to hold on October 14, just as transmission of the bills to the state assemblies is also expected to hold on October 30.
“One-week plenary debate on the constitution review bills to familiarise members with their contents in preparation for the voting is expected to hold on from October 7 to October 9.
“Voting in the Plenary will hold on October 14 . The Secretariat Retreat to produce a clean copy will hold from October 16 to October 19.
“Transmission to states: (at a ceremony in Transcorp) with leadership of the committee and senate with speakers/clerks of the state houses of assembly is expected to hold on October 30,” Kalu added.