Respect for Dantata: Senate suspends constitution hearing in NW

The Senate has postponed its North West zonal public hearing on constitutional amendments out of respect for the late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, a prominent business leader and elder statesman who was recently buried in Saudi Arabia.…

Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced this during Tuesday plenary, explaining that the decision followed consultations with stakeholders in the North-West region.

“In view of the demise of a very prominent philanthropist and stakeholder, late Alhaji Aminu Dantata, whose burial is taking place in Saudi Arabia, we resolved to observe a minute silence in his honour,” Akpabio said.

Read also:Nigeria’s loss is irreparable – Tinubu on Dantata’s passing

He said a new date would be determined in collaboration with stakeholders in the region and announced in due course.

The Deputy Senate President, who is currently in Saudi Arabia, is expected to return before a new date is agreed upon.

However, the Senate is to proceed with the nationwide Zonal Public Hearings on constitutional amendment proposals in other geo-political zones.

The hearings are slated for July 4 and 5 and would take place concurrently in five other geopolitical zones: Lagos (South-West), Enugu (South-East), Ikot Ekpene (South-South), Jos (North-Central), and Maiduguri (North-East).

Chairman of the Senate Committee on Constitution Review and Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, emphasised the importance of the hearings, describing them as a vital platform for citizens to engage in shaping Nigeria’s constitutional future.

“These hearings are meant to give Nigerians across all zones the opportunity to make their voices heard on issues that directly affect their governance and daily lives,” he said.

Issues of local government autonomy, creation of a National Local Government Electoral Commission to manage local elections nationwide, creation of state police among others are to be debated during the public hearings.