Akpabio: N’assembly will amend constitution to promote development

Senate President Godswill Akpabio says the national assembly will amend the constitution to encourage development in the country.

Akpabio spoke on Friday in Akwa Ibom at a retreat of the house of representatives committee on the review of the 1999 constitution.

The retreat was organised by the Policy and Legal Advocacy Center (PLAC) and United Kingdom International Development.

The senate president said every constitutional bill and proposal must receive the needed consideration.

“I believe that at the end of the day, the Senate and the House of Representatives will create a blueprint that guides us towards a more united and prosperous Nigeria,” he said.

“This journey has just begun in this retreat. So, ladies and gentlemen, the challenges before us are significant, but so are the opportunities.

“This opportunity is to ensure that the bills, all bills we consider and comprehend are fair, reflective of the aspiration of the Nigerian people.

“We must take into account the diverse perspectives and experiences that make up our great nation. By doing so, we lay a solid foundation for a constitution that truly represents the hope and dreams of every single Nigerian alive.

“Distinguished brothers and sisters, now is the time for us to take our destiny in our hands. Change will not occur if we passively wait for someone else for another institution or for a different time to undertake this venture with all the power to bring about a change ourselves and change the purpose, and trajectory of our new country.

“We are the ones our country has been waiting for. We are the embodiment of the change our country needs.

“Let us rise to this duty and answer our country’s call, particularly at a time when we have a vice president as a legislator, a president as a legislator, and even the wife of the president as a legislator.

“This is the right time for us to shape the future of our country through legislation.”

Benjamin Kalu, deputy speaker of the house of representatives, said local government autonomy, judiciary, electoral matters, state police, gender, and human rights issues, have been prioritised by parliament.