Stakeholders in Osun, Ondo and Ekiti States have urged citizens to actively engage in the ongoing 1999 Constitution amendment process, emphasising that public input was crucial for critical reforms, such as state police, local government autonomy, among others.
They also appealed to Nigerians to pay equal attention to all constitutional amendment bills, rather than focusing on the state police proposal.
The stakeholders noted that the state police bill generated widespread public debate due to its implications on national security, while several other amendment bills with significant governance impact had received little attention.
An Osun-based lawyer and Lead Director of the Community Aids and Social Empathy Initiative (iCASE), Mr Joshua Oyebode, said the constitutional review process should be comprehensive and not be reduced to a single issue, regardless of its importance.
“The state police bill is undoubtedly important, but it is not the only proposal before the National Assembly or the only constitutional amendment that deserves public attention,” he said.
Also, Majority Leader, Osun House of Assembly, Mr Babajide Kofoworola, said awareness for constitutional amendments was often low at the state level without adequate public hearings.
Kofoworola noted that when the National Assembly organised public hearings on state police, state creation, devolution of powers and other issues in Ibadan, Oyo State, participation from the South-West region was low.
He, however, said that Osun Assembly was committed to domesticating laws passed by the National Assembly, especially those beneficial to the people. The majority leader called on lawmakers to improve public awareness of proposed amendments.
Kotoworola also urged the legislators to ensure that stakeholders, including civil society organisations, human rights groups, professional bodies and the general public were adequately consulted before passing such bills.
Similarly, a former member of the Osun House of Assembly, Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, urged the National Assembly to intensify public awareness on all proposed constitutional amendments.
“Stakeholders must be adequately consulted before the passage of such laws. Deliberate efforts should be made to ensure citizens understand the purpose of proposed laws.
“They should have opportunities to contribute to the discussions before the proposed laws are finalised,” he said.
A legal practitioner, Mrs Sarah Ogenekome, said many Nigerians were unaware of the broader legal implications of the various constitutional amendments, as public discourse had largely focused on state police.
She noted that while the state police proposal is important, other amendments, such as those concerning local government autonomy and the financial independence of public agencies would also have far-reaching implications.
In the same vein, a political scientist, Mr Folorunsho Elijah, said the debate on state police had overshadowed other constitutional reforms due to the prevailing security challenges.
He, however, emphasised that constitutional review goes beyond security, noting that devolution of powers and financial autonomy would enhance governance, accountability and service delivery.
Also, a political analyst, Mr Festus Odunuga, urged Nigerians to pay greater attention to other critical constitutional amendment issues, stressing that the debate should not be limited to the state police.
Meanwhile, an Ile-Ife-based legal practitioner, Mr Anthony Gilbert, urged states to immediately begin developing policies and implementation frameworks for state police after the constitutional amendment has been approved and assented to by the President.
Contributing, the Majority Leader of the Ondo State House of Assembly, Mr Olatunji Oshati, said the decentralisation of electricity was being embraced by the state.
“The practice in the state before the amendment was that we had agency handling complaints on the power sector even before the amendment. So, the House has been briefed about it and it has passed the amendment bill to support the electricity flow in the state. We have done justice to that,” he said.
Oshati also said the local government autonomy was already being practiced in the state, noting that the allocation for the local government goes directly to the account of respective local governments without state government interference.
“The state Assembly is yet to receive any document allowing the state to have its own correctional centres. Immediately we get a go ahead on it, it will receive great support because such law would give a lot of relief for inmates.
“This is one of the things that we have been clamouring for and expecting for states to take responsibilities in order to hasten justice distribution.
“For the proposed state police bill, immediately it is jointly approved by the Senate and House of Representatives, we will give it a speedy debate and approval.
“Ondo State has been championing it through the creation of the Amotekun Corps. It is going to be a great relief as well,” he said.
Meanwhile, Mr Franklin Oloniju, a former Chairman of the Coalition of Civil Society in Ondo State, said the Federal Government should focus on the decentralisation of the power sector; local government autonomy, and others reforms to compliment the proposed state police.
Oloniju said jettisoning the reforms would not only affect the economic development of the country, but also add to the issue of insecurity, noting that 40 per cent of Nigeria’s population are in local government areas, and they lacked basic amenities.
Oloniju, while describing the decentralisation of the power sector and local government autonomy as critical issues which needed to be addressed, said that the two reforms were germane drivers of insecurity in the country.
In Ekiti, a constitutional lawyer, Mr Oladimeji Ojo, called for greater public engagement on the ongoing constitutional review, saying discussions should go beyond the proposed decentralisation of the Nigeria Police Force.
Ojo expressed confidence that state legislatures would give the proposed amendments the necessary legislative attention, while urging lawmakers to organise public hearings to accommodate the views of citizens and stakeholders.
He also urged civil society organisations, the media and professional bodies to intensify public sensitisation on the constitutional review process, stressing that an informed citizenry would contribute meaningfully to reforms aimed at strengthening Nigeria’s democratic and federal structures.
Also, the Clerk of the Ekiti State House of Assembly, Opeyemi Ajibola, said the National Assembly was yet to transmit the bill on state police to the assembly for debate.
Ajibola reiterated the efforts of the Assembly towards evolving legislation that would improve the living standards of the people and contribute significantly to the growth, progress and socio-economic development of the state. (NAN)
