Confab committee settles for unicameral legislature

THE National Conference Committee on Political Restructuring and Forms of Government, on Monday, unanimously agreed to recommend a uni-cameral legislature for the country.

They argued that the current bi-cameral set up was expensive and unwieldy and has not made for effective legislative process in Nigeria.

The committee also agreed that representation at the National Assembly should be on equal representation of 50 per cent on the basis of equality of states and 50 per cent on the basis of population of each state.

Though some members of the committee proposed 60 per cent representation in favour of population and 40 per cent for equality of states, others were of the opinion that 60 per cent representation by population and 40 per cent through equality of states would serve the country better.

Co-Chairman of the Committee, Mohammed Kumaila, said, “we agreed that there should be a unicameral legislature with one House of Parliament at the national level as opposed to what we have today.”

According to him, “In taking this decision, we took cognizance of the fact that the Senate, as we have today with equality of states as the guiding factor while population is what determines representation at the House of Representatives.”