Lagos – Some Lagos State lawmakers on Monday urged the Federal Government to ensure that the outcome of the   National Dialogue is subjected  to a referendum  rather than  National Assembly ratification.

One of the lawmakers, Mr Ipoola Omisore, (APC-Ifako-Ijaiye II ), the Chairman, House Committee on Services and Special Duties, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN)  in Lagos that the national dialogue’s  report should  be  put  to vote.
Omisore said Nigeria’s challenges should be categorised under 10 headings and each should be subjected to voting at the conference and ratified by the two-third majority in the state Houses of Assembly.

“The confab’s outcome should not be taken to National Assembly; the confab should be subjected to a referendum.

“We should vote; they should narrow all the points raised at the confab; there should be a referendum for every item. In fact, the problems should be narrowed down to just 10.

“Derivation:  that every state should be the owner of whatever they derive in their state and a percentage to be sent to the centre.

“The states should be stronger, the local government should be strongest and the federal should be the weakest.  Weak centre, stronger local governments and states.

“True federation should be allowed to play up, we should have six geo-political zones and every part of Nigeria should be allowed to choose the type of government it wants.

“We should allow each part of the federation to exploit the mineral resources in its own place; we should allow education, health and agriculture to go back to the states.

“Let the federal government handle international relations, policy statements and the coordination of states, like America,’’ he said.

Another lawmaker, Mr Suuru Avoseh, (APC-Badagry I), also said the outcome of the confab should be subjected to a referendum as the ratification of the dialogue’s report by the National Assembly was “unnecessary”.

“I have heard the chairman of the National Dialogue Advisory Committee say that the outcome would be subjected to referendum; that is the best thing.

“The referendum, by the time it’s being compiled to give out the outcome of the people`s views as expressed from the grassroots, that would be the best thing.

“And by the time they fine tune that, we don’t need the national assembly to ratify or do any fine-tuning.

“They are only to send it to the houses of assembly for the two-third approval that is being needed.

“If the views being expressed are the majority’s views, I believe all the 36 states of the federation would approve it and send back to the national assembly for them to compile and send it to the President for his assent to become a new Constitution.

“And that one will be the people’s constitution.’’

NAN reports that President Goodluck Jonathan had on Oct. 15 announced that the outcome of the proposed national conference would be submitted to the National Assembly for ratification. (NAN)