Nafada, Rivers Speaker, others assure on constitution review, N'Delta
From Anietie Akpan (Calabar) and Kelvin Ebiri (Port Harcourt)
NIGERIANS have been assured of a better Constitution in the current effort by lawmakers to review the 1999 federal document.
The Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Usman Bayero Nafada, who gave the assurance at a state dinner in his honour and members of the Ad-Hoc Committee on the Review of the Constitution at Government Lodge, Calabar, said this time around, the House will present a clearer copy of an amended constitution that would be accepted by the people.
And on the Niger Delta question, the Chairman, Conference of Speakers of State Houses of Assembly in Nigeria and Vice President, Conference of Parliamentarians in Africa, the Rt. Hon. Tonye Harry, has affirmed that the amnesty programme was a success but that the Federal Government still has a lot to do on infrastructural development of the area.
Also, a roundtable in Port Harcourt on electoral reform and the 2011 elections has agreed that Nigeria needs credible polls for political survival and rapid socio-economic development.
Nafada, who spoke in Calabar during a retreat, pointed out that two previous attempts at constitutional amendment were abortive because of a lack of political will to do so.
The first time was between 1999 and 2003 while the second was between 2003 and 2007, and though the latter was a good work, one of its recommendations spoiled everything, he remarked.
He promised that no partisan influence from the legislators' leaders or their parties would disturb them as they were prepared to do their job to the admiration of all.
He averred that "the 1999 Constitution was prepared by the military while the amended constitution will be prepared by the people for the people which creates the difference between the two assignments".
On the issue of Bakassi, Nafada said everything would be done to improve the lives of Nigerians there.
The Deputy Speaker thanked former Chief Justice Modibo Alfa Belgore who he described as a close friend of the House of Representatives, that is ever willing to render assistance, for attending the retreat as well as making a useful presentation, which would guide them in the course of reviewing the Constitution.
According to him, their work will be accepted by the generality of Nigerians as they are determined to produce a document, which will be easily interpreted in court. He emphasised that there was no friction between the Senate and the House of Representatives as far as the Constitution review exercise was concerned.
Governor Liyel Imoke, in his remarks, said the retreat would affect the lives of Nigerians and commended members of the committee for their commitment and dedication to the exercise.
He hoped their experience and input would put Nigeria aright, while the exercise, which has been attempted previously but failed, will be a constitution of the people by their representatives.
Imoke disclosed that for Cross River State, the issue of Bakassi would remain for sometime but if it not addressed, might affect the nation. However, he was happy that the issue was being addressed by the National Assembly.
He added that it was disheartening that while Nigeria adheres to the Green Tree Agreement, Cameroun is not doing so. Imoke said the state needs the support of all because of the challenges created by the agreement, which were not envisaged.
He also invited members of the House of Representatives to partake in the State Christmas Festival and Calabar Carnival, which is a combination of culture, history and colour.
The United Nations Children Education Fund (UNICEF) Regional Director, West and Central Africa, Mr. Franco Ratigano, who was in attendance, said constitution review was important to the people of Nigeria and observed that his presence was an opportunity for him to persuade the members of the committee to consider the issue of women and children.
Ratigano disclosed UNICEF's role in the Child's Right Act, which Nigeria is a signatory and advised that legislators should treat issues bordering on the rights of women and children seriously in order to create equity and fairness.
Harry, who spoke at a ceremony to mark his birthday and international legislative award, said the Rivers State would continue to support the Federal Government to end militancy.
He disclosed that his experience at the African Parliament has helped him a lot in the smooth running of the Rivers State House of Assembly.
He praised the efforts of Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi to ensure peace and turn the state around.
The Speaker said although the state House of Assembly has been adjudged the most peaceful and supportive of the government, it was not without challenges. He also noted that as the Chairman of the Speakers in the country and with his position in the African body, it behoved on him and members of his immediate constituency to rally round the governor in achieving the desired developmental goals of the administration.
Part of the success of the administration of the House, Harry said, largely depended on the non-interference by the Amaechi-led executive arm of the government.
He added: "In the Rivers State House of Assembly, we are a family and this has been our guiding principle and when the need comes to get to work, we do it with all seriousness with the aim of achieving the desired goal which was to justify the trust reposed on us by the people of Rivers State."
The ceremony was witnessed by political personalities and many of his counterparts from other states. Speaker after speaker eulogised Harry as he was described in superlatives. Present at the occasion were top government functionaries from Rivers State, including the Commissioner for Information, Mrs. Ibim Seminitari.
At the roundtable, a Canadian diplomat, Christian DesRoches, said Nigeria needed to have credible elections to break the jinx of political and economic stagnation.
He stated that the international community is eagerly waiting for the outcome of the presidential electoral reform proposals and what legislature the National Assembly will offer Nigerian people in terms of electoral reforms.
DesRoches, who was in Port Harcourt to attend a roundtable of electoral reform and 2011 elections, explained that the world wants Nigeria to be a stable and a prosperous nation, but Nigeria on its part, needs to have credible elections to be able to move forward.
DeaRoches recalled that Nigeria's return to democracy in 1999 was a major global event. Based on this, he said Europe and Canada are keen to see how Nigeria, which is an important country because of its demographic weight, a major source of energy and now a non-permanent member of the Security Council at the United Nations, can consolidate the gains of the past 10 years.
At the event, which was organised by Niger Delta Environment and Relief Foundation (NIDEREF), he hinted that based on concerns by civil society organisations that the 2011 election might be worst than the 2003 and 2007, the international community is eagerly waiting to see the outcome of the electoral reforms initiated by President Umaru Yar'Adua.
His words: "It is a scenario that will concern us a great deal. From our perspective in Abuja, we feel the President has taken very bold steps to encourage electoral reforms at his inaugural speech and the setting up of electoral reform committee."
"We are watching closely what is happening at the National Assembly and we are very eager to see what Nigeria's Legislature will offer Nigerian people in terms of electoral reforms", said DesRoches.
He pointed out that Nigerians are passionate about the issues of good governance, accountability and how to have credible elections in order to be able to move forward.
To this end, he advocated that Nigerian citizens and the civil societies should bring their concerns forward to their elected representatives at the state and federal levels.
The NIDEREF trustee, Prof. Ben Naanen, pointed out that after the amnesty programme, there are probably few political issues in the country that are currently as contentious as electoral reform.
Naanen explained that Nigerian elections remain deeply controversial. According to him, the country's crisis of governance and of development has been linked to this flawed electoral process, which has hardly brought out the best of leadership and continues to compromise the mandate of governments that emerge from the elections.
He said: "It has been speculated that the 2011 elections could be worse than the previous ones. It is regrettable that Nigeria is unable to conduct elections that meet minimum international standard for states that label themselves as democracies. This failure has also undermined the country's claim to continental or regional leadership."
Naanen bemoaned the inability of President Yar'Adua who constituted the Justice Muhammadu Uwais-led electoral reform commission to implement their recommendations.
He observed that another issue closely connected to electoral reform is the issue of constitutional review, which seems to be undergoing an agonising process of slow death through what critics perceive as deliberate inaction.
Naanen said the roundtable was necessitated by the quest to find out what should be the strategy of civil society in ensuring free and fair elections and emergence of competent and accountable leadership in the country, with or without electoral reform.
The Chairman of the Technical Committee on the Niger Delta and President of the Movement for the Survival of the Ogoni People (MOSOP), Ledum Mitee, expressed reservation about the implementation of any electoral reform before the 2011 elections.
The Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, Public Affairs Commissioner, Mr. Nimi Walson-Jack, suggested that states should have their own voters' register as means to check rigging.
