Jonathan sets up committee on Belgore committee report

President Goodluck Jonathan on Tuesday set up another committee to study the report of the Justice  Alfa Belgore-led Presidential Committee on the Review of the Constitution.

The  committee,  which  is headed by the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Bello Adoke (SAN), has three weeks to submit its report.

A statement by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Senator Pius Anyim, said the setting up of the committee was sequel to the submission of the report of the Presidential committee on the review of outstanding issues from recent constitutional conferences in Nigeria.

The committee will, among others, “identify the areas/issues on which the review committee affirmed consensus earlier reached in previous  conferences and for which the review committee prepared draft bills for consideration and legislation, identify the areas/issues on which past constitutional conferences had arrived at a consensus but which the review committee felt the consensus was no longer current or relevant and therefore did not prepare any draft bills.”

The committee will also “identify areas/issues on which the previous conferences and the review committee did not reach a consensus; study each of the draft bills submitted by the review committee and make recommendations for the government to either accept, modify or reject them in part or whole as the case may be.”

The Belgore-led committee, which submitted its report on July 10, had recommended “(a) Reduction of powers at the centre and devolution of same to the states federating units; (b) Allow the centre to retain necessary powers to enable it exercise its sovereignty, (c) Enable the centre to act for the federating units in areas of common and mutually beneficial interest and services,” amongst others.

Meanwhile, the Federal Government has dissolved the Board of the National Commission for Refugees chaired by Prof. Abayomi Durosinmi-Etti.

A statement by the SGF said the dissolution followed “the recent developments that have hampered smooth operations at the NCR.”

 

PUNCH NEWSPAPER