Proposed Constitution amendment to compel President, governors appoint cabinet within 60 days

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Proposed Constitution amendment to compel President, governors appoint cabinet within 60 days

The Senate Committee on Conditional Review on the 1999 Constitution has proposed an amendent that will compel the president or governor to appoint members of his or her cabinet within 60 days after inauguration.
The Chairman of the Committee and Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, made this known while presenting a report on the review during plenary on Thursday, adding that the amendment will see assignment of portfolios to those appointed as ministers before their confirmation by the Senate.

He stated that Sections 147 and 192 of the Constitution were amended to “ensure that the president and governors designate assign portfolios to persons nominated as ministers or commissioners, respectively, prior to confirmation by the Senate or state House of Assembly; provide a period of 60 days within which such nominations shall be forwarded to the Senate or state House of Assembly following inauguration; and provide 35 per cent representation for women in the appointment of ministers and commissioners.”

Ekweremadu further stated that the amendment will also “make it mandatory for the President to attend a joint meeting of the National Assembly once a year to deliver a State of the Nation address.”

He also stated when the proposed amendment sails through, local government areas without democratically elected executive will not have a share of the monthly Federal Allocation.

‘Under ‘Local Government Administration,’ the report said Section 7 of the Constitution was amended, to provide “a uniform three-year tenure for elected local government council officials; that local government areas without a democratically elected council shall not be entitled to any revenue from the Federation Account.

“These amendments, among others, we believe will ensure effective service delivery and insulate local governments from undue and counter-productive interference from state governments.”