Constitution review: “The Senate should be scrapped”

As the process of amending the 1999 Constitution is ongoing, the Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, has called for a unicameral legislature for the country.

Specifically, the governor said the upper chamber of the National Assembly should be scrapped while the Assembly should be on part-time basis to reduce the cost of governance.

Akeredolu stated this at the Akure Centre of the South-West Zonal Public Hearing on the review constitution, held at the International Cultural and Event Centre, Akure, the state capital, on Tuesday.

Represented by his deputy, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the governor said the position of the state was for the Federal Government to be reduced in weight and responsibilities.

He said, “The position of the Ondo State Government has been made public. We advocate for a Federal Government largely reduced in size and scope of engagement. We want to see a Constitution that will enhance the performance of public office holders at all levels.

“It is possible to have a government that will serve the people in deed and truth. The law of the land must aid this realistic expectation. We must reduce the cost of governance and shift attention to service delivery in this trying period.”

He added, “The country may consider dropping the current bicameral structure of the National Assembly and adopt a unicameral legislature. The membership of the Assembly should be part-time. No member should earn allowances not known to the Revenue Mobilisation and Allocation Committee and, more importantly, people they claim to serve.

“Legislators should earn under a uniform salary structure. Allowance peculiarities must not be about obscenity. The Senate should be scrapped. The House of Representatives too should not be unwieldy. A maximum of four representatives should come from each zone.”

He mentioned the position of the state to include, creation of state police, devolution of powers, state control of resources, decentralization of supreme court among others.