The House of Representatives on Thursday dismissed viral reports suggesting that an executive bill seeks to rename Nigeria as the United States of Nigeria.
The clarification followed widespread online claims accusing President Bola Ahmed Tinubu of submitting a proposal to change the nation’s name and abolish Shariah criminal law in northern states. However, the House confirmed that no such document reached the National Assembly.
During a media briefing on the first set of prioritised constitutional amendment bills, the House spokesperson and Constitution Review Committee member, Hon. Akin Rotimi Jr., refuted the claims.
Rotimi emphasized that the National Assembly has not received any executive bill requesting a change to Nigeria’s name.
“I can state clearly that no such proposal exists before the House. None whatsoever. That is all I will say,” he stated.
He also revealed that the House and Senate have harmonised 44 constitution amendment bills that will soon move to the next stage for consideration and voting.
“These 44 bills reflect the joint positions of both chambers. Since we operate a bicameral system, we worked closely with the Senate to align our proposals,” he said.
Rotimi further addressed confusion arising from a recent meeting between First Lady Senator Oluremi Tinubu and lawmakers at the Presidential Villa. He explained that the discussion focused only on the Reserved Seats Bill, which aims to increase women’s participation in governance.
“I attended that meeting. The First Lady spoke solely about the Reserved Seats Bill, which she strongly supports as a former lawmaker. The Vice President and several Federal Executive Council members also contributed. At no point did anyone discuss renaming the country,” Rotimi clarified.
He added that the constitution review process began with more than 350 amendment proposals.
“We started with over 350 submissions. The house reviewed them and cut the list to around 80. We later reduced them to about 60. However, we now have just over 40 bills advancing to the next phase,” he explained.
