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By Tracy Moses
The House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review has unveiled a comprehensive schedule of activities aimed at ensuring the successful passage of key constitutional amendment proposals by the end of December 2025.
As part of its inclusive and consultative strategy, the Committee is scheduled to meet with the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) on July 23, 2025. The goal is to present updates on the amendment process and seek the governors’ backing, particularly on issues considered sensitive or controversial.
Rt. Hon. Benjamin Okezie Kalu, the Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, made this known during the Committee’s meeting held at the National Assembly on Wednesday. He also disclosed that a joint retreat is being planned for September 25 to 28, 2025, involving members of the Senate’s Constitution Review Committee and Speakers from the 36 State Houses of Assembly. The retreat aims to harmonize viewpoints and align legislative efforts across various levels of government.
Kalu reaffirmed the Committee’s resolve to conclude work on the current set of amendment bills by December this year, while keeping the possibility open for additional rounds of amendments. “We are on track with our work plan. Our objectives are clear, and we believe they are achievable,” he said.
The Committee is also engaging a broad spectrum of stakeholders, including civil society organizations, grassroots groups, the international community, and the media. A diplomatic dinner has been slated for June 20, 2025, to build international consensus and support around key thematic issues such as gender equity, security reform, and state policing.
As part of the National Assembly’s Open Week on July 3, 2025, the Committee will host a special interface with civil society and community-based groups at the NASS complex in Abuja. Kalu highlighted the importance of such dialogue in ensuring that diverse voices are captured in the constitutional reform process.
Media stakeholders, including representatives of the Nigerian Guild of Editors, the Nigerian Union of Journalists (NUJ), and the Broadcasting Organizations of Nigeria (BON), will also be engaged on either July 8 or 9, 2025. Kalu stressed the media’s critical role in promoting transparency and educating the public throughout the review process.
Additionally, the Committee will host a public hearing with all 18 registered political parties on July 14, 2025. Ahead of that, zonal public hearings on the 87 bills that have already scaled second reading will take place across the country. The hearings are divided as follows: Northern zones will hold theirs from July 11 to 13, while the Southern zones will conduct theirs from July 18 to 20. A consolidated National Public Hearing will follow on July 21, 2025.
Zonal Committee Chairmen and their deputies have been tasked with liaising closely with state actors in their respective regions to ensure wide participation and representation during the hearings.
Looking ahead, Kalu said that plenary sessions in the House will be set aside from October 7 to 9, 2025, for in-depth debate on the amendment proposals. The voting process on the bills is scheduled for October 14. Following that, the Committee Secretariat will retreat from October 16 to 19 to finalize clean versions of the bills.
An official ceremony to transmit the bills to State Houses of Assembly has been fixed for October 30, 2025, at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja. The transmission event will be a joint effort by the leadership of both chambers’ Constitution Review Committees, together with Speakers and Clerks of the 36 State Assemblies.