—Commission to see to plight of FCT indigenes
—Votes for state constitutions
—States to be in charge of LGs
By Emeka Nze
Abuja
The National Conference yesterday ruled against unicameral legislative system proposed by its Committee on Political Restructuring while it endorsed that the country continues with its bicameral system.
The preponderance of argument on the floor of the conference, however, showed that many of the delegates preferred a unicameral legislature due to the exorbitant nature of two chambers in the National Assembly.
But other delegates also believed that since what makes for a democratic government is the existence of a legislature, it would be proper to retain the two chambers despite its exorbitant nature.
The conference also voted that states should own their own constitutions while the functions of local governments as contained in Schedule 4 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) has been transferred to the states subject to the power of the state Houses of Assembly to add or reduce the said functions of the local governments.
It also voted against making the local government as a different tier of government, saying that the House of Assembly of a state may confer other functions on local governments.
Delegates equally rejected a proposal for the tenure of local government elected officials to be increased to four years.
On the FCT, the conference wanted the establishment of a commission to see to the plight of indigenes of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), while it rejected the proposal for the FCT to be delineated into two senatorial zones.
They voted for the domestication of the convention for the elimination of discrimination against women at all levels of governance and spheres of endeavours.
According to the National Conference, states wishing to merge could do so but also voted that 75 per cent of eligible voters to vote in the referendum for a merger between merging states refused that the merging states should be referred to as a region.
The conference also agreed that states that decided to merge should have the right to demerge following the same procedure provided for merging of states.
It, however, rejected that the armed forces should be reorganised along geo-political zones.
