By Tapre Timine, Bayelsa

The Governor of Bayelsa State, Senator Douye Diri, has criticised the repeated constitutional review exercises in Nigeria, describing the process as a waste of time and resources due to the lack of implementation of previous recommendations.

Governor Diri made the remarks on Friday while receiving members of the House of Representatives Committee on Constitution Review at Government House, Yenagoa.

He recalled that he had served on the same committee during his tenure in the National Assembly between 2015 and 2020, citing disappointment that successive administrations had failed to act on its reports.

In a statement issued on Saturday by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr Daniel Alabrah, the governor said each National Assembly session had continued the cycle of constitutional amendments without tangible outcomes, and urged the current administration to ensure the process reaches a meaningful conclusion.

He further stressed the need for equity in the distribution of national resources and called for the practice of fiscal federalism.

The governor decried the imbalance in local government allocations, pointing out that Bayelsa, despite being a major oil-producing state, has only eight local government areas.

Governor Diri also stated that his administration was committed to accelerating development across Bayelsa State, and urged all levels of government to work together to achieve national progress.

Earlier, the Majority Leader of the House of Representatives and Deputy Chairman of the Constitution Review Committee, Prof Julius Ihonvbere, said his team covering Edo, Delta, and Bayelsa states was in the South-South zone to engage with citizens on proposed changes to the Constitution.

He emphasised the importance of a participatory and transparent process in driving meaningful reforms and lauded Governor Diri’s performance both as a legislator and as a governor.

He assured that the committee was open to receiving submissions from all stakeholders and welcomed contributions in any local language to ensure inclusiveness.

The statement read: “I thank you for choosing Bayelsa to host the zonal public hearing on the review of our constitution.

“I appreciate the Speaker of the House of Reps for sustaining this ritual, which I hope will come to an end one day.

“But this is not good for us as a country. We cannot be holding Constitution review and nothing comes out of it. It is becoming a waste of time and resources. I want to believe that this government has what it takes to implement the decisions that will be arrived at this time.

“I was a member of this same committee and nothing happened. But I am hoping that the President we have today, who is a democrat, will implement the recommendations.

“I do not agree with anybody who refers to Bayelsa as small. Bayelsa is big enough. It is injustice for Bayelsa to have only eight local government areas while others that are not as big have more. Let us stand for one another. This country can only develop when we operate true federalism.”

“Let me thank you for what you are doing in Bayelsa State. Leadership is at the centre of whether a country or state moves forward. You left your legacy in the National Assembly and we are not surprised about the development of your state.

“Your focus and ability to prioritise the development of the people makes us proud of you. You are providing leadership for the South-South and we want to thank and encourage you to keep doing what you are doing.

“This committee represents Edo, Bayelsa and Delta. Our goal here is to deepen consultations and listen to the people in their own zone. We are open to welcome any contribution in any language.

“We believe that with a consultative and transparent approach, we will have a more robust perspective on how people see our Constitution.”