Anayo Okoli
5 January 2009
THE National Assembly will commence business on the review of the 1999 Constitution when it reconvenes after the Christmas and New Year break. Already, members of the Steering Committee on the review, drawn from the two chambers of the National Assembly will begin a retreat on January 15, 2009.
During the retreat, the steering committee members, will fine-tune things and review their zonal sensitisation tours they embarked on during the Christmas break before going into proper work on the constitution review.
A member of the steering committee, Senator Joy Emodi from Anambra North disclosed his weekend while on sensitization visit to prominent traditional rulers in the South East geo-political zone. Emodi represents the South East senators in the steering committee, while Chief Emeka Ihedioha, the House of Representatives Chief Whip represents the South East House of Representative in the committee.
Members of the committee had resolved to embark on aggressive sensitisation exercise during the break. Emodi in the course of the assignment visited some chairmen and vice chairmen of traditional rulers' council to stress the need for them to urge the people to actively participate in the constitution review exercise.
Emodi visited the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe who is also the chairman of Anambra state council of traditional rulers and his deputy, Igwe Christopher Idigo of Aguleri. Both of them are prominent members of the South East Traditional Rulers Council. Dr. Emodi also visited Eze Valentine Onyema, who is a patron of the royal fathers in Anambra state,
Emodi explained that the committee decided to visit the traditional rulers because of their closeness to the people and their position, so that they could help in mobilising the people to take the issue seriously so that Nigerians can come up with a constitution they will truly call their own.
Emodi who was commended by the royal fathers for contributions in the upper chamber of the National Assembly, explained that the committee also decided to reach out to the royal fathers to enable them talk to some people, including politicians who may want to use the exercise to pursue parochial, selfish and primordial interest to the detriment of a collective interest of Ndi Igbo.
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