*Senate, House of Reps set up committees
*Ekweremadu, Ihedioha chair committees

BY BEN AGANDE, HENRY UMORU & INALEGWU SHAIBU

ABUJA -THE National Assembly yesterday restated its determination to once again tinker with the 1999 Constitution by raising committees to review the grundnorm.

While the Senate constituted a  47-member team led by Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu (Enugu West) to mid-wife the exercise, the House of Representatives raised a 46-man panel led by Deputy Speaker, Hon. Emeka Ihedioha with each state of the federation represented by one member. Other members include all the principal officers of the House of Representatives except the Speaker.

The Senate panel has seven female senators drawn from all the geo-political zones of the country among other high profile legislators, as members.

Key issues slated for amendment include state creation, Local Government System, devolution of powers, revenue allocation, State Police, State INEC, uniform minimum wage and joint account among others.

This came as the Senate urged President Goodluck Jonathan to immortalize the late former Vice President, Admiral Augustus Aikhomu, in recognition of  his contributions to the growth and development of Nigeria, and the House of Representatives resolved to send a delegation to Ibadan over the recent flood disaster with a view to ensuring budgetary provision to avert  recurrence.

Senate President David Mark had on resumption of plenary on Tuesday said that the Senate would show total commitment to the amendment of the 1999 constitution.

According to him, the Senate will look at issues of state creation, revenue allocation, state police and establishment of state independent electoral commissions and amendment of the 2010 Electoral Act ahead of the coming governorship and 2015 general elections.

His words: “Let me note that constitution amendment remains one of the top priorities of the Seventh Senate. Our success in the electoral reforms is now obvious and has been widely acknowledged after the 2011 general election. The onus is therefore on us to build on this success. We shall endeavour to produce a workable constitution that will stand the test of time.

“Nigerians expect us to revisit some fundamental issues such as state creation, the Local Government system, devolution of powers, revenue allocation, State Police, State INEC, uniform minimum wage, joint account and other contentious but important issues. We will not run away from any of these issues. I therefore expect that in this session, we will not only deal with them, but also with other issues that will guarantee good governance, peace, justice, and development in our country.”

Senate panel
Members of the Senate team include Ekweremadu, Uche Chukwumerije (Abia), Bello Mohammed Tukur (Adamawa), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Solomon Ita Enang (Akwa Ibom), Abdul Ningi Ahmed (Bauchi), Heineken Lokpobiri (Bayelsa), Barnabas Gemade (Benue), Ahmed Zannah (Borno), Victor Ndoma-Egba (Cross River), James Manager (Delta), Christopher Nwankwo (Ebonyi) and Odion Ugbesia (Edo).

Others include Anthony Adeniyi (Ekiti), Ayogu Eze (Enugu), Joshua Lidani (Gombe), Chris Anyanwu (Imo), Abdulaziz Usman (Jigawa), Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed (Kaduna), Bello Hayatu Gwarzo (Kano), Abu Ibrahim (Katsina), Abubakar Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Smart Adeyemi (Kogi), Mohammed Shaaba Lafiagi (Kwara), Ganiyu Solomon (Lagos), Suleiman Adokwe (Nasarawa) and Dahiru Kuta (Niger).

In the committee also are Senators Adegbenga Sefiu Kaka, Ogun; Boluwaji Kunlere, Ondo; Sola Adeyeye, Osun; Olufemi Lanlehin, Oyo; Joshua Dariye, Plateau; Magnus Abbe, Rivers; Usman Dahiru, Sokoto; Abubakar Tutare Umar, Taraba; Alkali Jajere, Yobe; Ahmad Rufai Sani, Zamfara; and Philip Tanimu Aduda, FCT.

To represent the six geo-political zones of the country are Senators Nkechi Nwaogu (South East); Esuene Helen, South South; Nenadi Usman, North West; Oluremi Tinubu, South West; Zainab Kure, North Central and Aisha Alhassan, North East while Senators George Akume, Ayoola Agboola and Mohammed Sani Saleh will represent special interest on the committee.

House panel
In the House committee are Ihedioha, the  House Leader,  Ishiaka Bawa, Leo Ogor, Ahmed Muktar, Femi Gbajabiamila, Suleiman Kawu, Samson Osagie, Garba Datti, Eziuche Ubani, Ganama Kwaga, Saviour Udoh, Mrs Uche Ekwunife, Yakubu Dogara, Dickson Henry, Christiana Alaaga, Mohammed Monguno, Chris Eta, Akpodiaga Emeyese, Christopher Isu, Patrick Ikhariale, and Opeyemi Bamidele.

The rest are Ogbuefi Ozomgbachi, Isa Dobi, Yusuf Swa,  Jerry Alagbaso, Adamu Hassan, Ibrahim Bello, Faruk Lawan, Aminu Tukur, Aminu Koko, Abdulrahman Badamasiu, Rafiu Ibrahim, Jide Akinloye, Ishaq Kana, Haliru Jikantoro, Adeyemi Adekunle, Ajagbe Tajudeen, Akinlaga Joseph, Ajaja Adebukola, Innocent Tirsel, Chinda Ogundu, Shuaibu Gobir, Ibrahim El Sudi, Goni Lawan and Ibrahim Gusau.