The House of Representatives on Wednesday in Abuja voted to
effect 71 amendments to sections of the 1999 constitution.
The lawmakers also backed the adoption of referendum for
state creation.
They, however, rejected the amendment of Section 9 to allow
for a referendum in determining the fate of the National Conference
recommendations.
Among the 261 house members who participated in the process,
252 members voted in favour of the amendments, eight voted against and one
abstained.
A two-third vote (240 of the 360-members) is required to
amend the constitution.
The report will be forwarded to the 36 state Houses of
Assembly for their concurrence.
The 71 amendments approved by the lower house border on
legislative immunity, local government autonomy, state creation, indigeneship
and citizenship.
Some others are independent candidacy in elections,
budgetary process, life pension for National Assembly heads and role for
traditional rulers.
An alteration of Section 7 among others, stops revenue
allocation from the Federation Account to local governments that are not
democratically elected.
They also approved the dissolution of local government
administrations at the expiration of four years commencing from the date the
members of councils were sworn in.
While altering Section 59, the lawmakers also voted to
bypass the president if he failed to sign a bill presented to him within 30
days.
“Within seven days, the President of the Senate shall convene
a joint sitting of the National Assembly to reconsider the bill.
“And if passed by two-thirds majority of members of both
Houses at such joint sitting, the Bill shall become law and the assent of the
President shall not be required,” the conference report reads.
In other constitution amendments, house members also
approved independent candidacy in elections in Nigeria.
A new amendment makes it mandatory for the president to
address a joint meeting of the National Assembly once a year.
The office of the Auditor-General of the Federation,
Nigerian Police, Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission,
National Security Agencies have now been place on a firstline charge from
Nigeria’s Consolidated Revenue Account.
House members equally approved life pension for the
President and Deputy President of theSenate as well as Speaker and Deputy
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
The life pension would be paid only if he/she was not
impeached from office.
An alteration of Section 241 which inserts a new subsection
(2A) bars Nigerian courts or tribunals from staying any proceeding on account
of an interlocutory appeal.
House members also voted to include seven items to the
concurrent legislative list, some of which are agriculture, railways and
pensions.
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