The Speaker of the Nigerian House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila says the Ninth Assembly will work towards passing all pending bills in the House before the end of the legislative year.
Gbajabiamila made gave the assurance while welcoming members back to the chambers for a new legislative year after the Christmas and New Year holidays.
He said; ”It is imperative that the House focuses its efforts on completing the tasks it has already initiated and closing out the assignments on which the legacy of the 9th House will be assessed.
“When the 9th House of Representatives was inaugurated in 2019, we hit the ground running to discover and present solutions to our country’s problems. Some of our efforts have yielded positive results in some regards, and in other areas, there is still work to do. We must resolve to continue to do the people’s work despite the obligations and distractions of the political campaign season. As we approach the end of our term in office, I am hopeful that we will continue to meet and exceed expectations in this new year.’‘
‘‘Let us begin this new year with a renewed commitment to legislative action that brings us closer to achieving our highest aspirations for our nation. Let us resume with renewed determination to achieve better oversight of government spending priorities through a collaborative effort with the executive arm of government and civil society. And we remain dedicated to the lofty yet clear ambitions we articulated in our Legislative Agenda when we resumed in the 9th Assembly,” Gbajabiamila said.
He noted that several bills still in the legislative process needed to be actioned as a matter of urgency, as those bills propose significant improvements across different sectors of national life.
The Speaker said; “Some of these bills are still in committee, while others are awaiting concurrence in the Senate. We will see to it that we conclude work on these bills so that they can be presented to Mr president during the life of this administration. One recurring criticism of the legislature in Nigeria has been the lack of continuity and the absence of tools and procedures for establishing an institutional memory.
”Government is a continuum; the actions of one administration will continue to impact the country long into the future. As the democratic process leads to continuous personnel turnover, it is vital to have a system that allows future officeholders to understand the decisions made by their predecessors. In the executive arm of government, it is established practice to prepare handover notes.”
Gbajabiamila however propose to the House that it adopts the practice at the Committee level.
He said that the House Committee on Rules and Business would lead the effort by formulating guidelines to make the adoption possible.
“Over the last few appropriation cycles, the dire conditions of our national finance have required significant borrowing to finance government operations, sustain investments in infrastructure and national security and improve the living conditions of the Nigerian people. Just as the 9th Assembly has reformed the appropriations process to ensure timely budget passage, we also intend to leave a legacy of transparency and accountability as a standard for the future. Therefore, as part of preparing our reports, we must make a deliberate effort to give a complete account of our oversight activities in the 9th House of Representatives,” the Speaker said.
He also said that ”the 9th Assembly has made reasonable progress in achieving the objectives it set in its legislative agenda.
“It is time to consider what has been done, what we didn’t do, and why.”
The Committee on Monitoring and Implementation of the Legislative Agenda will review activities of the 9th House of Representatives and present a report on the implementation of our legislative agenda to the House.
Gbajabiamila said; ”This is necessary to ensure that we have a report card to show the Nigerian people at the end of our term. But just as importantly, this review will allow us to better understand where we succeeded and where we didn’t as a guide for the future.”
The 9th House of Representatives adopted the Legislative Agenda as a statement governing its priorities.
Mercy Chukwudiebere
