Gov. Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state has urged the House of Representatives’ committee on the review of the 1999 Constitution to assign constitutional roles to traditional rulers in Nigeria.
Mohammed made the call in Bauchi on Tuesday at the start of the two-day public hearing on the 1999 Constitution by the House of Representatives at the Bauchi centre.
The governor observed that in spite of traditional rulers being the custodians of our cultures and traditions, they were not recognised in the 1999 Constitution.
Mohammed, who recalled that in the old Northern Nigeria, the British made use of them under indirect rule, said in spite of their non-recognition by the constitution, they were directly involved in the maintenance of law and order in their respective domains.
“There is the need for traditional rulers to be given roles in the constitution, especially in the maintenance of law and order and other relevant areas.
“Taking into cognisance that even now that they are not recognised by the constitution, all the states of the federation depend on them.
“In Northern Nigeria, when the British came, they used them under indirect rule and I do not know from where we got the wisdom to throw what we have so much in custody by allowing them to be redundant, ineffective, and at the same time putting so much responsibility on them.
“This is because whenever we have problems, we rush to them, but we have never held them accountable and responsible for the duties we are expecting them to perform.
“We believe we can give them constitutional responsibility, salary structure and scheme of work , so that they will be able to discharge their responsibilities without forcing them into redundancy or corruption,” he said.
Mohammed stated that by finding it necessary to consult widely with Nigerians before amending the constitution, the National Assembly was underscoring the fact that democratic norms and values were taking deep roots in the country.
He said that Nigeria needed a constitution that would serve the interests of the people, recalling that the 1999 constitution had been widely criticized for not meeting the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians.
“We, therefore, need a workable and acceptable constitution, indeed, we must have a clear break from the command structure of the military which concentrated enormous power at the centre, as manifested in the 1999 constitution,” he said.
The governor expressed the hope that the exercise would produce a document that would serve the interest of the generality of Nigerians.
In his speech, Ahmed Wase, the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, and also the chairman, Special Committee on Constitution Review, noted that lawmaking was one of the fundamental functions of the legislature, either by establishing entirely new laws or reviewing existing ones.
Wase was represented by Rep. Aminu Suleiman, Chairman, House of Representatives’ Committee on the review of the constitution, Zonal Public Hearing, at the Bauchi centre.
The Deputy Speaker, who observed that alterations to the constitution was enormous and tasking, as it came with a lot of challenges, added that all divergent views would be debated upon.
He called on all the participants present to share their wealth of experience and expertise, so as to add substantial value to the process and the final outcome of the constitutional review.
Wase assured that the committee would do justice to the various presentations and submissions to be collated.
“On our part as your representatives, we will do justice to various submissions and presentations and reassure you that your contributions will be carefully and objectively studied.
“Relevant inputs and suggestions will form part of our recommendations. I urge you to eschew any act that might negatively affect, jeopardise or compromise the final outcome of this exercise,” he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the zonal public hearings are taking place simultaneously across the country’s six geopolitical zones with each zone having two centres.
The North-East has the Bauchi centre, which consists of Bauchi, Borno and Yobe states, and the Yola centre that would host Adamawa, Taraba and Gombe States. (NAN)
