The House of Representatives has resumed plenary after a month break to enable committees engage with ministries, department and agencies in the 2023 budget defense.
While welcoming members back from the recess, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila said that the Committees of the House have been working on the 2023 Appropriations Bill, ensuring the final budget serves the needs of the Nigerian people and meets the development objectives of communities across the country.
“Legislators are also working to ensure that, in line with the reforms of the 9th Assembly, we have a final bill ready for presidential assent before the end of the year. It is not an easy task to deliver an implementable budget at a time of significant financial limitations. The limited time available for budget consideration and the demands of the fast-approaching national elections further complicates the picture”, Gbajabiamila said.
He however said that he was confident that members of the House are alive to their responsibilities and will deliver their objectives in good time and to the benefit of the country.
“The House continues to work to meet our legislative agenda commitments across all other priority areas. As part of that effort, the House will convene a National Summit on Tertiary Education Reform on Tuesday and Wednesday, the 22nd and 23rd of November 2022. The Summit is an opportunity to begin the long overdue national conversation about the future of public tertiary education in Nigeria. Scholars, tertiary education administrators, and local and international stakeholders have been invited to submit papers on the theme of the Summit, “Re-imagining Tertiary Education in Nigeria: Issues, Challenges and Solutions”, and other sub-themes provided in a call for memoranda. The presentations and submissions will inform the policy recommendations of the Summit and be published in a Journal for policy action and academic reference. So far, public interest both within and outside Nigeria has been impressive”, he noted.
The Speaker also said that most consequential decisions the House makes in government are those that will ensure that the vast population of young people in Nigeria are educated and adequately equipped to participate productively in the modern global economy.
“To achieve this, we must ask and answer complex questions about the operating structure of our public tertiary institutions, sustainable funding, education quality and access”.
The speaker urged all members of the House to participate in “this crucial national conversation so that your experience, expertise and concerns inform the policy recommendations that emerge from the Summit”, he added.
