Constitution amendment: There is still hope for failed bills – Ekweremadu
Ekweremadu, who commended his colleagues for approving about 95 per cent of the recommendations presented by his Committee, said, it was not the end of the road for the failed alteration bills, since constitution amendment was a continuum, noting that further consultation as well as understanding of the issues was needed.
He said: “We commend our colleagues for their understanding and ensuring that about 95 per cent of the amendments we proposed to them scaled through.
“We are also conscious of the fact that Nigerians are worried about some of the recommendations that did not pass. Let me use this opportunity to further appreciate and reassure Nigerians that we are sensitive to their feelings and that we are likely going to revisit some of the issues they are concerned about when we return from our vacation.
“Some of the issues did not scale through because there is need for fuller understanding as well as more consultations and consensus building on them and their implications for our people.”
He added: “No doubt, your studies on South East were right because the region is indeed highly challenged, especially in the areas of transport infrastructure such as roads, railway, seaport. We are also challenged in the areas of power
“That was why we took things like power to the Concurrent List so that States can generate power, transmit, and distribute power. The same goes for railway, which is still the exclusive preserve of the Federal Government. That way, Nigeria can effectively speed up socio-economic development in all parts of the country.
Earlier in her remarks, the Team Leader of PERL, Dr. Ode, commended the National Assembly for voting in favour of autonomy for Local Governments and State Houses of Assembly, while also calling for greater support for gender mainstreaming and other amendments that would speed up national development.
He said PERL and DFID were currently working to address infrastructural deficits that impede the business environment in the South East and sought the support of the Deputy President of the Senate towards convening political leaders of the region to discuss issues that would aid the development of the region.
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