National Assembly Saraki hopes new Constitution for Nigeria will be delivered early 2017

The process, according to the lawmakers, is expected to help provide answers to questions regarding true federalism in Nigeria.

The National Assembly on Friday, June 17, began the move to amend controversial areas in the 1999 Constitution.

Speaking in Lagos at a retreat by the lawmakers revisit the Constitution, Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said that one of the legacies the 8th National Assembly would leave behind is the delivery of a new and acceptable constitution to Nigeria.

He charged the lawmakers achieve the feat by the first quarter of 2017.

“I will like you to kindly, for us and for all Nigerians, deliver a new constitution to this country by the time we open a chapter to the beginning of 2017," Saraki said.

“I think that if we so do, we will be leaving a legacy for ourselves.”

The process, according to the lawmakers, is expected to help provide answers to questions regarding true federalism in Nigeria.

According to the Deputy Senate President, Mr Ike Ekweremadu, there is the need to conclude constitution amendment processes far ahead of election seasons.

“It reduces the contamination of an otherwise patriotic exercise by personal, political or other considerations", he said.

“In keeping with the matching order of the Senate President at the inauguration of this committee, we hope to conclude the process of the constitution amendment exercise by December 2016.”

At the gathering, the lawmakers debated on several issues confronting the country, including too many states and the cost of running them, and credible leadership.

Pulse recalls that in 2014, the administration of former president Goodluck Jonathan brought people from different parts of Nigeria together in Abuja for a National Conference to deliberate and find a lasting solution to the nation’s challenges and implementations that could address agitations.

But the ex-president, who had promised to forward the deliberations of the national conference to the National Assembly, did not do so before he lost in the presidential election of 2015 to President Muhammadu Buhari.