The House of Representatives has expreaaed its commitment to a full participatory constitution amendment process, stressing that it will continue to “speak with Nigerians, not for them.”
Chairman of the South-South Zonal Public Hearing in Calabar, and Minority Leader of the House, Hon. Kingsley Chinda, made the declaration while addressing stakeholders, civil society groups, and citizens who gathered to submit memoranda and make oral presentations on critical national issues.
“We are your servants. We are very willing and happy that today, we are not going to speak for you. We are going to speak with you,” Chinda who is the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives assured.
The session was part of the ongoing constitutional review being undertaken by the 10th National Assembly, was aimed at collecting citizens’ inputs across 12 centres nationwide, two in each geopolitical zone.
“The only assurance we give you is that your requests will be received, will be heard, and will be treated. “The committee has no opinion so far on any of the areas.
“If we remain organized, we are likely to achieve the purpose for which we have left our homes for this place,” he noted, urging participants to submit written memoranda to avoid duplication, especially in repeated demands such as state creation,” Chinda said.
He further assured that the House being committed to transparency, neutrality, and public input, all eyes now turn to whether these public hearings will translate into meaningful constitutional reforms, or fade into another cycle of unfulfilled national expectations.