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Governor, Babatunde Fashola |
CONSTITUTION REVIEW
By Omololu Ogunmade and Gboyega Akinsanmi
Senators Tuesday vehemently opposed the six-year single term
proposal by the Senate Committee on the Review of the Constitution as debate on
the reports submitted to the parliament by the committee last month took off.
The senators’ rejection coincided with a similar view held
by the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola (SAN), who also expressed an
aversion to the centralisation of the value added tax (VAT), national lottery,
policing and security, among others, all of which he said, should be
decentralised under an ideal federal system.
The senators’ overwhelming rejection of the single term
proposal was surprising as none of the 21 members of the upper chamber who
spoke on the committee’s recommendation supported it.
Instead, they all rejected the recommendation, with most of
them describing it as anti-people, anti-democratic and a move capable of
creating anarchy in the system.
Most of the senators, who spoke Tuesday, said the single
term proposal did not reflect the wishes and interest of the people as some
senators queried how the committee came about the proposal.
Some other senators said if at all the single term proposal
would be considered, it should have paved the way for the incumbent president
and governors to participate in the proposal instead of shutting them out and
thereby creating the impression that the move was deliberately targeted at
stopping some people.
Other senators, who said the recommendation lacked
justification, also argued that if Nigeria’s democracy was patterned after that
of the United States, operating a single term of six years would be a total
deviation from well-known norms.
“The six-year single tenure does represent the interest of
Nigerians. A single term could lead to ulterior motives by those in government.
It will distort everything. It will aid the looting of treasuries. Nigerians
are totally against it,” Senator Abdulmumuni Hassan said.
However, the proposal for local government autonomy received
the overwhelming support of the senators with only a few opposing it.
Supporters of local government autonomy argued that granting
autonomy to local governments would help to foster developments at the
grassroots.
They also said the move would put paid to the notion of
governors hijacking the State-Local Government Joint Account and doling out
peanuts to the councils.
According to them, unless autonomy is granted to the
councils, it would be impossible for council authorities to execute projects
that can benefit the masses at the grassroots, noting that the local government
is the closest government to the people.
There were also submissions that unless the fund from the
federal government is well monitored, merely granting autonomy to local
councils might amount to an exercise in futility as some suggested that the
councils should first be put on a first line charge before the joint local
government account is abolished.
Other issues, which were opposed, included the move to
separate the Office of Attorney General from that of the Minister of Justice as
some senators advised on the need to tread with caution.
According to the senators, there was no notable reason now
why the offices should be separated, advising instead that the status quo
should be maintained.
Many senators also spoke on the need to remove items such as
power generation from the Exclusive Legislative List and put on Concurrent List
so that state governments, which invest in independent power projects, can get
their states connected to the national grid.
Other issues advanced by senators included the proposal to
allow a retired Supreme Court judge to head the National Judicial Council
(NJC), instead of the committee’s recommendation that it should be headed by a
former Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
Some others also advocated the assignment of a
constitutional role to traditional rulers, while others wanted the interest of
indigenes of Abuja duly protected in the constitution.
The debate, which was smooth and devoid of rancour, will
continue Wednesday and Thursday when the senators will vote on each of the
issues.
Meanwhile, Fashola also opposed the proposal to institute a
six-year single term limit for the president and state governors under the
ongoing review of the constitution.
He also expressed aversion to the centralisation of
value-added tax (VAT), national lottery, policing and security, among others,
all of which he said, should be decentralised under an ideal federal system.
He spoke on these issues during a private meeting with renowned
constitutional lawyer, Prof. Ben Nwabueze, at the Lagos House, Alausa, on
Monday, where the latter presented his autobiography titled, ‘Ben Nwabueze: His
Life, Works and Times’ to the governor.
But at the meeting, Nwabueze expressed his belief in the
six-year single term limit for political office holders, saying it would
provide more opportunities for those seeking elective offices than the present
four-year two term limits.
The scholar reiterated his belief in an indivisible Nigeria
that should be transformed and where everybody would be happy, adding that
corruption in Nigeria is pervasive because it is committed with impunity.
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