We are aiming at new constitution for Nigeria ― Gbajabiamila

 Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila has said that the 9th Assembly will review the entire 1999 constitution with the aim of birthing a document that will reflect democratic ideals and resolve foundational conflicts threatening Nigeria’s journey to nationhood.

The Speaker made the disclosure in his speech to mark the end of the legislative year. The House is proceeding on its annual vacation today after the plenary.

Gbajabiamila said: “The Constitutional amendment process in the House of Representatives continues apace. We have received submissions from across the country. We have conducted nationwide public hearings to seek the views of the Nigerian people so that the final product of the process reflects as much as is possible, the best expectations of our fellow citizens. As I have said before, this constitutional amendment process is unlike those that came “This time, we seek nothing less than a wholesale review of the constitution with the express intention of crafting a document that reflects the democratic ideal, and at the same time resolves those foundational conflicts of our nationhood that hinder our march to progress. The current constitution of our Federal Republic reflects our past. We need a constitution that speaks to our present and makes a better future possible. And it is our commitment in this 9th House of Representatives to deliver such a constitution.”

The Speaker also appealed to the members and Nigerians in general not to give heed to actions and utterances that will tear the nation apart.

“This year there have been too many occasions when good faith efforts by the House of Representatives to address questions of law and regulation have been misconstrued as an attempt to perpetuate injustice against the people we serve. I am not unmindful of the fact that some of these reactions are result of years of broken promises by politicians and government. Yet, it is also evident that there are those who for-profit and ambition, have devoted themselves to creating conflict, and engendering in our citizens the kind of cynicism that makes all constructive collaboration impossible.“Fellow Nigerians, let us take care not to give ourselves over to those who try to exploit our legitimate grievances to create chaos and disaffection. We must not heed the call of those who propose no solutions but stand ever ready to cast aspersions and insinuate the worst motives of our action. Our problems are real, and the challenges we face are significant. Those problems will not be made less real, nor will we overcome our challenges, if rather than work together in the cause of nation-building, we stand in permanent opposition to one another – tribe against tribe, region against region, partisan against partisan.

“Citizens and leaders alike have choices to make about our future, about the country we want to live in and leave to the next generation. Some of such choices will be difficult, requiring us to make sacrifices and endure difficulties. Some other choices will sometimes cause us to disagree.We must decide at this moment in time whether we are prepared to learn from and call on the lessons of our history so that we may be inspired therefrom to rise once more in defence of our values, our interests, and the dignity of all our nation’s people. Let us work to re-establish in our country, the bonds of brotherhood that allow us to disagree but never to forget that in the end, through whatever may come, we are family, bound one to another, and we must look out for each other”, he said.

Regretting the deadly dimensions COVID-19 has assumed, Gbajabiamila urged Nigerians to pursue personal hygiene.

He said: “Distinguished colleagues, unfortunately, despite the valiant efforts of scientists who have discovered a vaccine, and notwithstanding efforts by governments and others, to make those vaccines available, Covid-19 has emerged with a new and deadly variant that threatens our world once more. We have already seen the devastation that this disease is capable of, and as such, we must not allow ourselves to be left to its mercy.

“It is time for us now to take the same precautions of personal hygiene and social interaction that we did last year when the pandemic was at its most potent. Let us take the opportunity of this recess to speak to our constituents and provide them with the tools they need to protect themselves against this deadly disease.”

The Speaker also announced the suspension of the activities of all committees of the House except that of the Finance working on the Medium Expenditure Framework, MTEF and the Internal Security.

“As we come to the end of this legislative period, we recognise that where much has been done, there is still a lot left to do. We are aware that though much has been achieved, there remain many challenges that task us, that require of us that we work harder, collaborate better, and make the hard decisions that are required for progress and prosperity. This recess is therefore an opportunity for members of the Honourable House to engage with constituents to understand the areas of their most pressing concerns so that when we return, we can begin to address those as a matter of the highest priority.

“The work of the legislature never ends. Even though we will not be here in chambers making laws and advocating for our people, our attention will still be required in our constituencies on other engagements relating to our service in this House of Representatives. Nevertheless, let us all endeavour to use this recess to spend time with our families, and for deep reflection, to examine ourselves and assess the quality of the service we have each provided this year.

It is from such reflection, that we will be able to determine those areas where improvements are needed, and where we need to do better than we did in the past year. To this end, all Committee assignments except finance working on MTEF and the Internal Security that will be working on the security on our premises, are suspended till resumption”, he said.