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Constitution Review: We allow our diversity to be a challenge — Ganduje

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4 years ago

June 3, 2021

The Kano state governor Abdullahi Ganduje has declared that the problem with Nigeria is that its diversity is allowed to be a challenge instead of an opportunity..

The governor stated this while delivering a speech at the opening ceremony of the public hearing by the House of Representatives Special Committee on Constitution Amendment that took place in Kano on Wednesday.

Governor Ganduje also urged the committee members to put Nigeria’s interest first in order to buttress the peace and unity of the nation.

“Indeed there is no better time to hold this public hearing than now. Various people, associations and groups are yearning for the review of the constitution due to the enormous problems and challenges bedevilling our great country as a nation.

“The problem with Nigeria is that we allow diversity to be a challenge instead if seeing that challenge as an opportunity.

“According to some sociologists and psychologists having a nationality in Nigeria have some inherent trends if properly harnessed will make Nigeria a great country.

“Kano States government is highly in support of this exercise and already the state government has readily examined to submit 17 issues outlined for the constitution review and has articulated a memorandum containing its position which reveals the yearnings and aspirations of the Kano state government and is ready for submission to the constitution review committee. However we are not going to preempt the memoranda of the Kano state government” Ganduje stated.

In his opening speech, Alhassan Ado Doguwa, Majority Leader of the House of Representatives and chairman of the public hearing committee in Kano described the hearing as an opportunity for citizens to bring forward all issues that have manifested or may manifest in future that will address the contentious areas in the constitution and restore and guarantee peace and tranquility in Nigeria.

He further stated the eleven burning issues to concentrate on in the deliberations.

“This legislative hearing is an opportunity being accorded to citizens to bring forward all the issues that either have manifested or may manifest in future, and with inputs of the people, we gradually begun to move to a “Quasi Referendum” that will restore, guarantee peace and tranquility in our nation by addressing those contentious areas in our supreme democratic document.

“It is therefore expected that with these issues well-articulated and brought forward, they will not only attract attention but elicit and trigger action with a view to addressing them in our collective national interest.

“Some of the front burner issues that will form part of our deliberations today include the following: Devolution of Power, True federalism, Resource Distribution, State Police, Judicial/Electoral Reform, Restructuring, Creation of New States and Request for Special Status, Local Government Administration, Residency/Indigenship, Federal Character and Constitutional Role for Traditional Institutions” Doguwa stated.