Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep. Abbas Tajudeen, says the lower chamber plans to unveil its legislative agenda on resumption from recess.
Tajudeen said this at the opening of a two-day retreat for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly (NASS) in Ikot Ekpene, Akwa Ibom on Friday.
The retreat which was declared open by the Vice-President, Kashim Shettima, was organised by the National Institute for Democratic Legislative Studies.
“At the House of Representatives, we have prepared a legislative agenda which will be unveiled on resumption. The agenda is bold, ambitious and draws its strength from the people.
“It reflects our belief that citizens’ engagement is the fulcrum of representative democracy. It will drive progress, wealth creation and inclusivity in our country.
“The Strategic Legislative Objectives espoused in the agenda underscores the determination, commitment and single minded dedication of the house in driving ideas and policies that meet the yearnings and aspirations of our people,” he said.
The Speaker said that the House had taken steps toward improving the outcome of legislative governance to contribute to national development.
“Through our committees, we have continued to engage with labour and trade unions to address the challenges they face.
“This engagement has also been extended to other sectors of the economy, such as education, health, and other concerns that seek to enhance the welfare of youth, women, excluded persons, and other vulnerable groups.
“There is, however, room for more innovative engagement in the 10th House of Representatives. This is particularly important as most committee chairs are new, and even more so for the membership of these committees,” he said.
He said that the lower chamber had created committees on monitoring and evaluation with a view to demonstrate its commitment to ensure an efficient and vibrant legislature.
“The first committee on monitoring and evaluation will supervise the implementation of the legislative agenda of the House which is an internal mechanism of making sure that the agenda is meticulously followed.
“The second committee is to supervise the activities of the standing committees in their oversight activities to ensure timely reports and compliance to the rules and standard legislative practice,” he said.
Meanwhile, spokesman of the House, Akin Rotimi Jnr., says the lawmakers will resume plenary on Tuesday, September 26, 2023 from their two- month annual recess.
In a statement in Abuja, Rotimi said the notice of resumption from the annual recess which started on July 27 was conveyed to members by the Clerk of the House, Dr. Yahaya Danzaria.
Rotimi said that the 10th Assembly had been very prolific, adding that in about 100 days since inauguration, it had passed about 470 bills for First Reading, while four of them had passed Second Reading.
He said further that about 175 motions on notice had been considered by the House.
According to him, despite the recess, the Green Chamber continued to function as various ad-hoc committees continued to carry out their crucial mandates which had generated significant positive public interest. Honourable members also continued to carry out various constituency outreaches across the country.
He said further that,
“Some of the key early developments expected on resumption are the conclusion of the work of all ad-hoc committees and the submission of their reports for the consideration of the House, in line with the directive of the Rt. Honourable Speaker.
“It is also expected that the final draft of the Legislative Agenda developed by the ad-hoc committee led by House Leader, Hon. Prof. Julius Inhonvbere, will be considered and adopted by the House. The draft agenda was developed following extensive consultations with critical stakeholders.
“In the same vein, soon after resumption, it is anticipated that the membership of the standing committees would be announced and fully constituted.”
