House of Reps Sets Up Committees on Constitution Amendment, Names Members

The House of Representatives, through its Constitution Review Committee (CRC), has formed seven subcommittees to oversee different thematic areas as part of its efforts towards constitutional reforms.

Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the CRC, Ben Kalu, announced the division of the constitution into these thematic areas during the meeting of the committee.

The seven thematic areas identified for review are local government matters, the judiciary, electoral matters, security architecture, gender issues, devolution of power, and human rights.

Each subcommittee, comprising lawmakers and consultants, will focus on bills related to their assigned thematic area and submit reports to the main committee for consideration.

For local government affairs, the National Assembly seeks to amend the constitution to guarantee local government autonomy, aligning with a Supreme Court ruling which ordered the direct payment of funds to local governments despite Section 162 of the 1999 Constitution, which created the joint account.

The local government subcommittee is chaired by Majority Leader Julius Ihonvbere, with Nuhu Jamo serving as consultant. Other members of the committee include Onwuzibe Obinna, Aliyu Boya, Jimbo Clement, Ibrahim Kabir, Abeji Joseph, Raheem Olawuyi, and Ahmed Idris.

The judiciary subcommittee is chaired by Chief Whip Bello Kumo, with Mamman Osuman and Seni Adio, both Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SAN), serving as consultants.

The remaining subcommittees will focus on electoral matters, security architecture, gender issues, devolution of power, and human rights.

The House has set a December 2025 deadline for the conclusion of the Constitution review exercise.