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Nigeria Wake Up Credit: http://ottawa.ctvnews.ca/ctv-morning-live/wake-up-call They come to us in times of election But flee from us afterwards as though we have infection Excuses are their steady companion Devious so we resolve with prayer but no action Wake up my people! Their mistakes have become law They are always never listening Stolen wealth, they gladly harbour Only sweet doom is beckoning Wake up! The condition of ‘before’ is clearly not the same as ‘now’ Yet they stick to an unending doctrine of lies and tricks Night and day, eternal pain, our future has been strangled bleak Yet they dare to flaunt their elegant crown so everyone would bow Wake up Nigeria! Do we have recurring amnesia? Or we want to sleep and not wake? Is the solution always militia? Why must we allow them to take our cake? Wake up! Remember who you are for Nigeria’s sake Citizens. Born royalty Renowned bedrock of any society With the power to make and unmake U...

Internal Security #ReviewConstitution  series on the constitutional amendment continued . Click  here  to see the status of the entire process as at 10th October, 2017. Nigerian Police Force Name Change This amendment seeks to change the name of the Nigeria Police Force to Nigeria Police to reflect the organization’s core mandate. Consequential Amendment on Civil Defense This amendment ensures that core functions of the Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps are incorporated in the Constitution. #ReviewConstitution  Stay empowered by knowing more! Stay satisfied by engaging  more ! Check out the amendments strengthening the Local Governments ( click here ), Auditor General of the Federation and the States ( click here ), Legislature ( click here ), Elections such as the NotTooYoungToRun Bill ( click here ), Budget ( click here ) and the Judiciary ( click here ). We have a duty to influence these critical decisions. We must tell our sta...

Strengthening the Judicial System #ReviewConstitution  series on the constitutional amendment continued . Click  here  to see the status of the entire process as at 10th October, 2017. Judiciary Bill to Further Strengthen the Judiciary for Speedy Dispensation of Justice This bill incorporates submissions made by the judiciary that will speed up the dispensation of 'justice' in the country. It is aimed at addressing administrative and operational bottlenecks slowing down the wheel of justice administration. It also provides a framework for allowing appeals from the industrial court to be considered at the Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court for dispensations of labour/ trade related disputes. Investment and Securities Tribunal This amendment reflects the establishment of the Investments and Securities Tribunal under the Constitution to enhance the dispensation of investment and trade disputes. It allows appeals from the tribunal to lie at the Court of Appe...

Credit: www.budgetoffice.gov.ng/ Enhancing Budget and Governance Processes #ReviewConstitution  series on the constitutional amendment continued.  . Click  here  to see the status as at 10th October, 2017. Authorization of Expenditure before Budget Passage This amendment seeks to reduce spending of money from the consolidated revenue fund of the Federation pending the passage of the budget from 6 to 3 months. One reason why the budget is usually presented late, is because of the current half year period of grace which the president and governors enjoy. It promotes early presentation and passage of the appropriation bill (budget). Time Frame for Submission of Names of Ministerial and Commissioner Nominees with their Portfolios This amendment provides for the President and Governors to submit the list of ministerial nominees to the National Assembly and State Houses of Assemblies within 30 days of being sworn into office to ensure that the business ...

Strengthening Key Accountability Institutions #ReviewConstitution  series on the constitutional amendment continued. Click  here  to see the status as at 10th October, 2017.  First Line Charge for the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation and States This amendment, empowers the Office of the Auditor General (OAuG) of the Federation and those of the States with the requisite funding or access to its budgeted funds to enable them function efficiently and effectively. The OAuG is the foremost anti-corruption and accountability platform or institution created by the Constitution with the mandate to ensure that public funds are utilized effectively, transparently and for the greater good of the citizenry. This is an important amendment to the Constitution. Separation of the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation with that of the Accountant-General of the Federal Government The Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (exi...

Strengthening the Electoral System #ReviewConstitution  series on the constitutional amendment continued. Click  here  to see the status as at 10th October, 2017 Reduction of Age for Election This amendment seeks to review downwards age restrictions when standing in elections. The required age for citizens to stand in the presidential election will be reduced from the current 40 to 35 years. Similarly, the current 30 years condition to contest as members of the National Assembly and State Houses of Assemblies will be reduced to 25 years. It allows younger persons to compete for political offices. It is popularly known as the #NotTooYoungToRun bill. Independent Candidacy This amendment allows independent candidacy in elections at the national, sub-national and local levels. It allows citizens to contest elections without being sponsored by a political party. If passed, it will help deepen internal party democracy through transparent and acceptable primaries. ...

Strengthening Governance Institutions #ReviewConstitution  series on the constitutional amendment continued. Click  here  to see the status as at 10th October, 2017 Financial Autonomy of State Legislatures This amendment seeks to provide financial independence for the state legislatures by granting them first line charge on the consolidated revenue fund of the state. Funds due to them in the consolidated revenue fund will be paid directly to them. As of today, the State Houses of Assemblies (SHoAs) depend on the magnanimity of the executive to access basic funds necessary for carrying out their legislative duties in addition to their emoluments. This can influence the SHoA's ability to hold the executive to account through their oversight and representative functions. Immunity for Legislators for Acts in the Course of Duty This amendment seeks to strengthen the provisions of the Legislative powers and privileges Act. It protects the legislators from p...

Strengthening Local Governments #ReviewConstitution series on the constitutional amendment continued. Click here to see background and the status as at 10th October, 2017 Distributable Pool Account Bill This amendment seeks to annul the State Joint Account Allocation Committee (JAAC) and empower each Local Government Council (LGC) to maintain its own special account through which their funds will be paid directly from the federation account. It went further to make provisions for savings in the federation account before distributions to the other levels of Government. The bill also empowered the State Houses of Assemblies (SHoA) to through a law create an account through which prescribed amounts/ monies from each LGC and State Government will be deducted from the federation account and paid into for paying teachers’ salaries and other related purposes. The bill intends to strengthen primary education through improved funding (joint contribution from the State and LGC). This ...

Stay empowered by knowing more! Stay satisfied by engaging more! The constitution remains the pillar of Nigeria's democracy. This law is currently being reviewed and as citizens we must actively engage each stage of the process. To do this sufficiently, it is critical to be abreast of the status ( click here ) of the constitutional amendment and more importantly the implication of the modifications in our lives. On this premise, deliberate actions have been taken in the past by several stakeholders to sensitise the public on the changes; two of such organisations amongst the many are Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), and Youth Initiative for Advocacy Growth and Advancement (YIAGA). Over a 7 day period, from the 11th of October, 2017, these bills will be extensively discussed on the social media. Bills have been clustered and briefly explained in subsequent series intended to be published. The #ReviewConstitution  hashtag on social media would make it ...

Constitutional Amendment Background #ReviewConstitution The National Assemblies (NASS) in December constituted the Ad-Hoc Committees on Constitution Review to initiate the process of amending relevant sections of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) based on the wishes and aspirations of various stakeholders and their representatives. After due consultations, the NASS Committees decided to limit their focus to the issues contained in the 4th alteration that was passed by the NASS and the State Houses of Assembly (SHoAs) but not assented by President Good luck Jonathan over some items he had reservations with. He questioned the process adopted by the NASS which he felt did not meet the requirement of section 9 (2) of the Constitution. At the moment, both Houses have passed some of the recommendations proposed by the Committees while others were rejected. About 21 bills seeking the amendment to different sections of the Constitution have bee...