The Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has offered to lend its services to the government with the production of the draft of a new constitution, if the National Assembly successfully amends the document.
The group made the offer in Abuja on Wednesday while presenting its memorandum on constitution review and electoral reform to the Senate, two weeks after the public hearing ended.
The NBA occupies a significant position in the process of constitution reviews and electoral reforms and part of the recommendations of the Mohammed Uwais-led Electoral Reform Committee is that a seat be created for the association on the board of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The association could not present its memorandum during the recently concluded national public hearing in Abuja and, therefore, sought for another date to make its presentations. The Senate obliged it by allowing it to make its presentation at the National Assembly complex in Abuja on Wednesday.
Rotimi Akeredolu, the association’s chairman, led the delegation of lawyers who made the presentation. He asked the National Assembly to keep up the work on the constitution review, even though it (the Assembly) seems to be short of time.
He also appealed to the Senate to fast-track some justice sector reform bills which have been pending in the chambers for long. Top on the list is the National Human Rights Amendment bill, which, according to him, will make the body more independent; and the Prison bill, which Mr. Akeredolu said, is the longest existing bill in the National Assembly, among others.
Change of attitude
The association supported the view of Victor Ndoma-Egba (PDP, Cross River State), who is also a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), on the issues of constitutions review. The senator is of the view that unless there is a change of attitude by politicians, the whole effort at constitutional review and electoral reforms will be a waste.
According to Joseph Daudu, chairman of NBA’s Legislative Advocacy Working Group, “attitude represents a very key aspect of the reforms”.
The report, however, contains some recommendations which the NBA arrived at after a two-day retreat in September this year at Uyo, the capital of Akwa Ibom State.
The recommendations in the NBA report include the establishment of a state police system, an advice for a piece-meal approach to the amendment of the 1999 Constitution and establishment of constitutional courts, amongst other recommendations.
The Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, expressed appreciation for the NBA’s concern on issues of constitution review and electoral reforms and promised to make copies of their report and circulate same to all members of the constitution review committee for careful study
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment