THE House of Representatives may cast its vote on the ongoing review of the 1999 Constitution on December 10, 2025, the Deputy Speaker and Chairman of the House Committee on Constitution Review, Benjamin Kalu, announced yesterday.
Meanwhile, an ad hoc committee of the House has begun an investigation into the non-functionality of the $460 million-worth Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) project intended to monitor activities in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT).
Speaking during plenary, Kalu said the chamber was likely to dedicate three consecutive legislative days to conclude debate on the proposed amendments before taking a final position the following week.
If the House meets the December 10 timeline, the vote will take place before the chamber proceeds on its end-of-year break.
The Senate is also expected to proceed with its own vote after which harmonised positions will be transmitted to the Houses of Assembly for concurrence, as required by the Constitution.
If adopted by at least 24 states, the amendments will be returned to the National Assembly for final certification and onward transmission to the President for assent.
According to Kalu, the House has already completed the technical work required for the current phase of the review process, and the committee is preparing the final documents that will be presented to lawmakers for consideration.
Kalu said: “We are going to continue another set of debates next week; but this time, it will be on the Constitution review.
“We will confirm to you before that Tuesday if we are taking this decision. Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday will be for the debates because we are looking at the upper week to vote on the Constitution, which is about December 10, before we wind down this session.”
The coming sessions, he added, will prepare members ahead of the final vote scheduled for the second week of December.
CHAIRMAN of the ad hoc committee, Donald Ojogo (APC, Ondo) described the initiative as a “moral imperative” rather than a mere parliamentary formality.
He noted that Abuja, envisioned as a symbol of national unity and peace, had increasingly become a theatre of fear, adding: “Gunshots, kidnappings, armed robberies and brutal killings have replaced the quiet hum of normal life.”
The committee’s probe focuses on the CCTV initiative, financed through a $460 million Chinese loan, designed to serve as a digital sentinel over the FCT. Despite its promise, the system remains largely non-functional, raising concerns about mismanagement, technical failure or possible corruption.
Ojogo outlined the committee’s mandate, stressing that the investigation was not a witch-hunt but a “truth-hunt”.
The panel is tasked with conducting a forensic audit of the project, scrutinising contracts, assessing technical integrity, and investigating the link between the CCTV project’s failure and the rising number of security breaches. It will also identify responsible individuals, agencies and contractors, as well as provide recommendations to restore the system’s functionality and public confidence.
“The Nigerian people are asking: Where is the money? What happened to this colossal investment? Was the project crippled by technical incompetence, logistical failure or outright corruption?” he stated. “Every life lost, and every naira wasted represents a violation of the nation’s development agenda and a stain on the national conscience.”
