North East Senate constitution review hears 70 submissions
Chima Azubuike, Gombe
No fewer than seventy (70) submissions were collated at the North East zone of the Constitution review held in Gombe.
Speaking on Thursday, at the end of the hearing, chairman of the committee, Danjuma Goje announced that the seventy oral submissions were from three states namely; Gombe, Adamawa, and Taraba.
Goje also announced the committee’s resolve to be fair to all parties in presenting the submissions on the floor of the Senate, adding that they have harvested helpful and impactful recommendation which would help the country.
He said, “we have received 70 submissions from across the three states and I’m happy to say that they are very important and I’m very proud to be from this zone.
“I’m also impressed by our wonderful performance, I want to assure you all that this committee will take time to go through the report, itemize them and make submission on the floor of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”
On various requests for the creation of more states, he assured that Nigeria would protect their interest, while assuring Mubi
“I want to assure them that Nigeria needs them, Nigeria wants them and respects them.
“This committee will make special presentation to the Senate am not saying other requests are not important. You know the presenter particularly the one from Mubi has made serious allegation as if they are not wanted that they have never had anyone in cabinet but I think Atiku happens to be from that part of the country, part of southern sultan province.”
Meanwhile, at a ministerial media roundtable briefing jointly hosted by Zariyatu Abubakar and Naomi Awak; Commissioner for Women Affairs they advocated for increase for women in elective positions, adding that legislators should ensure gender neutral and sensitive language in the Constitution.
The group revealed, “Ensure equitable women representation in government, through at least 35 percent women representation in government, it is important the constitution is reviewed for at least 35 percent women representation in appointive offices at the federal and state levels.
“This will begin with an amendment of section 14 subsection 3 that prohibits predominance of persons from a few states, ethnic or sectional groups in the composition of the government and its agencies to also introduce a prohibition of the predominance of any sex in the composition of the government and its agencies.”
