LAGOS, Nigeria — Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, has disclosed that the National Assembly’s Joint Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution is currently considering 55 requests for state creation, two boundary adjustments, and 278 proposals for the creation of new local government areas (LGAs) across the country.
Barau made this known during a two-day retreat for members of the Senate and House of Representatives Committees on Constitution Review, held in Lagos.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, the Deputy Senate President said the exercise reflects the legislature’s commitment to delivering people-driven and timely constitutional amendments.
He urged lawmakers to ensure that the first set of proposed amendments is transmitted to the state Houses of Assembly before the end of the year.
“It has been a long journey to bring the Senate and the House of Representatives’ constitutional amendment proposals together,” Barau said.
“We have been in this process for the past two years, engaging our constituents, critical stakeholders, institutions, civil society organisations, and interest groups through town hall meetings, interactive sessions, and public hearings — harvesting and synthesising views and perspectives which have culminated in what we have here today.”
According to him, the committee is currently examining 69 amendment bills, 55 state creation requests, two boundary adjustment requests, and 278 LGA creation proposals.
Barau, who chairs the Senate Committee on Constitution Review and also serves as the First Deputy Speaker of the ECOWAS Parliament, emphasised that the constitution amendment process is complex and demanding, but achievable within the set timeline.
“It is not going to be a simple task to achieve within two days, but I believe we can do it — especially as we have promised Nigerians that we will deliver the first set of amendments to the state Houses of Assembly before the end of this year,” he said.
He reminded lawmakers of their duty to act in the national interest, stressing that the constitution is the “grundnorm” — the supreme law of the land — that unites all Nigerians beyond ethnic, religious, or political divisions.
“We represent constituents with diverse backgrounds, but we must approach this task with patriotism and nationalism as our shared goals,” Barau said.
“We are seated here as one committee. There should be no ‘we’ and ‘them’. We should be guided solely by the interests of Nigerians.”
The Deputy Senate President charged members of the joint committee to engage the bills before them with open minds and to work towards recommendations that can secure approval under Section 9 of the 1999 Constitution, which outlines the process for constitutional amendment.
He expressed optimism that the retreat would produce workable recommendations that reflect the aspirations of citizens and strengthen Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
“I wish all of us a very fruitful deliberation and hope for recommendations that will meet the approval threshold of the constitution,” he said.
The constitutional review process, which has been ongoing since 2023, aims to address long-standing issues such as state creation, local government autonomy, boundary demarcation, and governance reform, among others.
