KADUNA—Speaker of the House of Representatives Aminu Tambuwal, yesterday, said the National Assembly, would create new states based “on merit”, as well as review the present revenue allocation formula and assign constitutional roles to traditional rulers.
He added that the Reps would re-introduce the controversial Internal Party Democracy Bill, which seeks to make all National Assembly members automatic members of the National Executive Committee, NEC, of their parties.
The Speaker said this in Kaduna at a Post-Election Violence Roundtable organised by the Kaduna State chapter of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, NUJ.
Tambuwal said he had set up a committee to review the relevant sections of existing laws to make the job of amending the relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution easier.
On the occasion, the former Permanent Secretary in the Office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, SGF, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said the Sheik Ahmed Lemu-led Presidential Panel on Post-election Violence was preparing the ground for more crisis by creating the impression that government would give monetary compensation to victims of the violence, even as urged those he described as old politicians to give way for the younger generation to take over from them.
The Speaker was represented by Godfrey Gaya, representing Zangon Kataf/Jabba Federal Constituency of Kaduna State.
On his part, the paramount ruler of Bachama, in Adamawa state, the His Highness the Hamman Bachaman, Asaph Zadok, lamented that the introduction of monotheism by Arabs and Europeans into Nigerian religious space was responsible for the unprecedented level of hate, intolerance and violence in the country, adding that, in the past Nigerians did not kill themselves over the deities they worshipped.
“The Speaker has inaugurated a Constitution Review Committee and we want to look at the Electoral Act and those laws that divide us instead of uniting us; those laws that tend to devalue us instead of empowering us.
“For example, we still have a Constitution that does not provide a definite role for traditional rulers. We would amend the constitution to provide a definite role for our traditional rulers.
“There is no doubt that if the constitution is not reviewed, it will affect the states. Right now, states are finding it difficult to pay the N18,000 new minimum wage.
‘’We go to the same market and I can assure you that if N18, 000 is the only wage we can pay our workers, it is definitely not fair.
“So, we are looking at how to amend the Revenue Sharing Formula. There is no way the Federal Government can continue to enjoy 52 % of all our revenue while the states and the 774 local governments that we represent have about 42 percent.
“We are looking at the issue of states creation. Of course the Sixth NASS tried its best but was unable to do anything.
“Of course this time around, we are starting early and I am sure that before the middle of our tenure, we will be talking of new states; feasible states and those that are not feasible.
“We will also be looking at amending the Electoral Act and matters that relate to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
‘’There are certain things for which you could not have blamed Mahmud Jega, INEC Chairman, because some of those bills were signed few weeks to the election and it was not possible for INEC to take total control of all that happened.
“So, we are going to look at it and give Nigerians a correct version of the Electoral Act that will guide us in the next dispensation so that Nigeria can have an election that can be truly free and fair.
“In the last assembly, we started a bill that talk about internal democracy.
“This time around, we are revisiting that bill that will introduce internal democracy within the set up. If that can be done, it is our belief that the rampant cases of going to tribunals on election matters would have been minimised because the political parties who are the bastion of democracy will now ensure that only candidates that are acceptable to the people are presented for election.
“We are going to embark on aggressive oversight function this time around by ensuring that the demand of the Nigerian people are met.
“In a country of 140 million, it is a shame that we are still generating only 4000 megawatts of electricity instead of at least 45,000 megawatts.
“ In a country where several infrastructure are decaying, there is much to be done. This time around, we are determined to get it right by making sure that every kobo that has been appropriated is well utilized”, he said.
Baba-Ahmed who was the guest lecturer at the Round-table, said that by making petitioners to the Lemu Panel believe that government would offer them money for burnt places of worship, homes and business places, the panel was setting up a dangerous path that could lead to more crisis if at the end, government failed to do so.
“In my entire civil service carrier, I have never seen where government gave compensation to victims of riots to cover the worth of their property.
“People are coming out claiming to have lost assets worth hundreds of millions and are expecting to be paid. I am sure that government cannot pay”, he added.
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