IF the consensus of House of Representatives members from Akwa Ibom is anything to go by, the state may have frowned against popular demands from many states of the federation, especially in the south.
On power rotation, the members said that it should be left to political parties to decide, adding that immunity clause be allowed to remain in the constitution.
The Akwa Ibom representatives, jettisoning the idea of state creation, said time was not ripe for new states to be created. They further argued that the hue and cry for state police was unnecessary as the country was not ripe for state police.
On the devolution of power, the members agreed that there was need to devolved power as the Federal Government was handling too many national affairs. They, therefore, said such matters as energy, tax, fishing, national minimum wage provision, prisons and railway be transferred from exclusive list to the concurrent list in the constitution.
They further said that the status, powers and functions of local governments be properly defined within the Nigerian federal structure, stressing that, the local government be given complete autonomy to enhance efficacy local government administration.
The lawmakers said Section 162(16) of the constitution be expunged to enable all payments be made directly to local councils’ account. Furthermore, Section 8(5), they said, should be expunged by the national assembly in relation to the creation of local government or headquarters of local government areas.
On fiscal federalism, the lawmakers said Federal Government should control oil, gas and solid mineral resources but give 50 per cent of the derivation to the producing states.
The lawmakers resolved that, Land Use Act, the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) Act and the Code of Conduct Act be removed from the constitution to make their amendments easier and faster, without going through the rigour of constitution review.
Culled from Guardian
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