Constitutional Amendment: We Cannot Sacrifice Quality On The Altar Of Speed – Hon. Kalu

The House of Representatives has insisted on its commitment and determination to follow through with its plans to amend the 1999 Constitution to meet the yearnings of all Nigerians before the end of the ninth assembly.

The lower legislative chamber who said that this current assembly commenced the process in 2020 urged Nigerians to be patient as they cannot sacrifice quality on the altar of speed.

This disclosure was made by the Spokesman for the House, Hon. Benjamin Kalu (APC-Abia), while addressing newsmen on Thursday in Abuja, urging Nigerians to be patient with the parliament as amendment processes had reached an advanced stage.

What the Spokesman of the House of Representatives is saying
Kalu said, “We started in 2020 to reshape the Constitution of Nigeria which is almost becoming obsolete because the society is dynamic, and as society progresses, different needs are defined and ways of solving those needs should be found in the grand norm.

“In the wisdom of the leadership of the House and the Senate, we decided to go for a review of the constitution; last (legislative) year, we scored major miles in making sure various steps needed to amend the constitution were taken.

“So many people want us to immediately review the constitution but we cannot; we cannot sacrifice quality on the altar of speed; so we urge Nigerians to be patient so that we go thoroughly.

“So that in the end, we can boldly say that the preamble of our constitution which says, “We the people of Nigeria” will indeed be a true reflection of we the people of Nigeria.’’

According to the News Agency of Nigeria, Kalu expressed the house of representative’s commitment and determination to ensure that the constitution amendment process was concluded in the third or fourth year of the ninth assembly.

He urged Nigerians to have faith in the legislators, saying that they had seen the gaps in the constitution and were willing to close it as much as possible, within the remaining time.

The spokesman also talked about the lower chamber’s plans to focus on revenue generation agencies, with a view to blocking revenue leakages in the country, accusing some agencies of under-remitted revenue to the federal government, some not remitting at all, while others spent their internally generated revenue without regard for the laws.

The lawmaker warned that any agency of government that failed to appear before the House Committee on Finance to account for revenue remittances, would not have overhead and capital expenditures in 2022 budget.

Bottomline
The quick resolution of the constitutional amendment would come as welcome development to Nigerians who have been yearning for the amendment of the existing constitution which they said is obsolete and not in tune with the present circumstance.

The amendment will give rise to a more effective, efficient and productive country.