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GOVERNOR DIRI SLAMS REPEATED CONSTITUTION REVIEWS, DEMANDS FISCAL FEDERALISM

 By Toyyib Omowale 

Governor  Douye Diri, has faulted the endless process of reviewing the 1999 Nigerian Constitution.

Speaking in Government House, Yenagoa, when he hosted members of the House of Representatives Committe on Constitution Review, Governor Diri recalled that he was a member of the committee when he was in the National Assembly from 2015 to 2020, and expressed concern that successive administrations in the country had not implemented the committee’s recommendations. 

A statement by Mr.Daniel Alabrah, his Chief Press Secretary,  quoted the governor as saying that the exercise was becoming a waste of time and resources as every National Assembly session embarked on same process without the recommendations being implemented. 

The Bayelsa governor expressed the hope that the current Federal Government would ensure that the ongoing review reached a logical end.

Governor Diri restated the need for equitable distribution of the country’s resources, and emphasised the injustice to Bayelsa, an oil-producing state making huge contribution to the economy, in having only eight local government areas.

He said for Nigeria to make progress, it must practice fiscal federalism and uphold justice. 

The Bayelsa governor said the state was in a hurry to develop and that the concerted effort of everyone in government had resulted in the steady progress of the state.

He equally faulted those describing Bayelsa as a small state, noting that it is bigger in land mass than about nine other states in Nigeria.
Earlier, Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Majority Leader and Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives Constitution Review Committe,  said his Team A, covering Edo, Bayelsa and Delta states, was in the South South zone to consult with people of the three states and hear from them on the areas that needed to change in the Constitution.




According to Prof. Ihonvbere, only a transparent and participatory process would guarantee development in Nigeria.

He commended Governor Diri’s leadership style, which he said had brought development to Bayelsa just as he is also providing leadership for the South South region of the country.

He said the Bayelsa governor left an enviable legacy at the National Assembly and as his former colleagues, they were not surprised about his performance in the state.

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