Tag Archives: House Of Rep

Dogara Introduces Electronic Voting, E-Parliament

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The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has introduced electronic voting system in the conduct of legislative business of the House.

Dogara, who last Thursday announced the adoption of the e-voting system, said it was in compliance of the 8th Assembly Legislative Agenda.

Consequently, forms have been distributed to individual members to collate their data ahead of production of e-voting cards to all the 360 MPs. The implication of the new system is that records of each member’s punctuality and voting patterns can easily be accessed by his/her constituents and members of the public.

According to details of the Legislative Agenda as adopted by the 8th Assembly early in its life last year, “The 8th House commits to the use of ICT in the daily conduct of legislative activities of the House.

E-parliament and e-voting platforms will be made a regular feature of the House.” ” E-voting will be used regularly during voting to properly reflect voting records of Members and parliamentary accountability. The House shall collaborate with relevant stakeholders to achieve the goal of an e-parliament.”

The e-parliament initiative will operate on the platform of modern, up to date digital technology. Internet and intranet access supported by computerized legislative information management system will be put in place. Other initiatives that will be introduced include the establishment and equipping of a Parliamentary Information Centre where information and documents of the National Assembly will be made available. Doing this, will further increase citizens access to the legislature and solve the problem of public access to authentic documents of parliament.

Credit: Vanguard

Lawmakers Not Responsible For Padding 2016 Budget – Namdas

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The House of Representatives on Tuesday said that lawmakers were not responsible for the padding of the 2016 budget proposal.



Rep. Abdulrazak Namdas (APC-Adamawa), the Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, said this when he visited the Headquarters of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja.



Namdas expressed concern over conflicting figures discovered in the budget proposal, saying that the legislature was committed to addressing the anomalies.



He said that the sacking of some personnel in the Budget Office had vindicated the lawmakers from the misconception that the National Assembly was responsible for padding the budget.



“This problem is not with the National Assembly, so the padding is not done by the National assembly.

“In fact, we should be commended for identifying some areas that became problematic and we are working hand in hand with the executive to see how we can solve this problem in the best interest of this country.

“And that is why we had to shift the idea of passing the budget by Feb. 25, because we realised there were conflicting issues,’’ Namdas said.



According to the lawmaker, NASS must tinker with the budget to address the issues of conflicting figures.



“We realised that figures were not agreeing; some ministers disowned budgets that were prepared by them and if you look at the quantum of the problem, we cannot just pass this budget,’’ Namdas said.

 

(NAN)

Laws Protecting Rights Of IDPs Will Be Enacted Soon – Dogara

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The House of Representatives is putting legislative structures in place to ensure protection of the rights of internally displaced persons (IDPs), Speaker, Mr Yakubu Dogara, has assured.

 

A statement signed by Turaki Hassan, Special Adviser, Media/Public Affairs to the Speaker, said Dogara gave the assurance when received a delegation from the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR).

 

The statement was issued to newsmen on Monday in Abuja.

 

Dogara said that efforts were on top gear by relevant committees in the House to ensure that Nigeria domesticate and ratify the UN Kampala treaty on the rights of refugees.

 

He said that the committees would soon conclude work on the document and submit it at plenary for further legislative action.

 

He said that the bill for the establishment of the proposed North-East Commission and the Kampala Commission were also before the committees.

 

He added the report of the committees would be brought before the House during plenary for consideration.

 

“Hopefully we will pass it and in no distant time, it will be ratified,” he said.

 

The speaker told the delegation that in recognition of the plight of IDPs and the need to rehabilitate and resettle them, the House constituted a committee on IDPs.

He said that the House would not support the call for over 2 million displaced persons to return to their communities until adequate security was provided in the affected areas.

 

“There is no way we can do that unless we bring the conflict to an end; it makes no sense for anybody to insist that IDPs should go back
to their communities.

“Chances are there that they may be attacked if conditions that gave rise to the crisis are not totally eliminated,” he said.

Dogara said that democracy would not thrive in Nigeria if the lives of the citizens were not secured.

 

“As it is said, democracy is a promise that deals with life and the pursuit of happiness.

“All other promises of democracy cannot come through unless there is life. That is the most important promise of democracy,” he added.

 

Earlier, leader of the UNHCR delegation, Mr Volke Turk, stressed the need for the government to find solution to the challenges facing the IDPs.

Turk is the Assistant High? Commissioner in charge of Protection of Rights of Refugees and IDPs.

He urged the speaker to expedite action to ensure that Nigeria domesticate and ratify the UN convention on the protection of the rights of refugees in the

According to him, ratification of the treaty will be `extremely valuable contribution’ to the protection of the rights of refugees.

 

 

(NAN)

Budget Committee To Submit Report Before Friday

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The House of Representatives on Tuesday, urged all committees on budget defence to submit their reports and defence same before the House committee on Appropriation between Wednesday and Friday.

 

This is contained in statement by Rep. Abdulmunin Jibrin (Kano-APC), Chairman, House Committee on Appropriation, in Abuja.

 

The statement said that the submission of the reports was to ensure that the second week of March deadline for passage of the 2016 Appropriation Bill was met.

 

“This development is to allow Appropriation Committee extra time to work on the budget and guarantee an error-free budget and make a good delivery to Nigerians at the end of the day.

 

The following committees – Foreign Affairs, Road safety, Local Content and FCT- made very powerful presentations and others are expected to deliver between today and Friday.

 

The primary objective of this is to eliminate errors and waste that may be associated with the 2016 budget,’’ said Jibrin.

 

 

(NAN)

Stop Blaming APC For Nigeria’s Economic Challenges – Dogara

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Yakubu Dogara, Speaker, House of Representatives, has called on the critics of the All Progressives Congress-led administration to stop blaming the government for the current economic challenges facing Nigeria.

 

Dogara made the call in a statement signed by Mr Turaki Hassan, his Special Adviser, Media and Public Affairs and issued to newsmen on Tuesday in Abuja.

 

The statement said Dogara made the statement when he received unemployed Aeronautic Engineers and Pilots from Bauchi State who paid him a courtesy visit.

 

He said that instead of the blaming the APC-led government, the people who brought Nigeria to its current state should be blamed.

 

Dogara said that the Buhari-led government was working hard to sanitise the system, adding that it would take some time to achieve the objective.

“You know that we are facing challenges in the country at the moment. Even though people do not want to talk about on the ground that we campaigned that we are going to fix the country,’’ he said.

 

“We have sowed in the wind and we are now reaping whirlwind and as long as the earth abides, there will be seed time and harvest time. We do not want to dwell in the past, we are facing the future,’’ he said.

 

The speaker urged unemployed youths in the country not to despair and assured them that government was doing everything possible to create job opportunities.

 

“Investment in education, skills and knowledge is never a wasted investment,’’ he said and expressed optimism in the ability of the government to reduce unemployment in the country. Don’t despair because no training is wasted; but it is our responsibility to open the private sector for job opportunities,’’ he said.

 

He urged Nigerians to join hands with the government to sanitise the system to enable it create job opportunities, especially for the youth.

 

“If youths are not employed, it will be a disservice to the society as well as discouragement to the graduates, ’’ he said.

 

Speaking earlier, the leader of the team, Capt. Bala Jibrin, said that the pilots and Aeronautic Engineers, who were sponsored by Bauchi State Government to acquire knowledge in the United States, graduated in 2011.

 

Jibrin, who said that the pilots and Aeronautic Engineers had been unemployed since their arrival in the country, requested the speaker to facilitate their employment.

 

He said that Bauchi government spent N1 billion to train the 20 youths drawn from the 20 Local government areas of the state.

 

 

(NAN)

Group Urges INEC To Declare Faleke’s House Of Reps Seat Vacant

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A group, Ikeja Stakeholders’ Forum, ISF, has urged the Independent National Electoral Commission,INEC, to declare the House of Representatives seat of the running mate to the late Prince Abubakar Audu in Kogi State, Mr. Abiodun Faleke vacant.

 

A statement by its coordinator, Mr. Olanrewaju Osundairo warned that should the commission fail to do so, the group would resort to legal action.

 
The statement partly reads: ‘’By virtue of the fact that Faleke had transferred his franchise away from Lagos to Kogi State, he ceases to be a member of the constituency. He lacks the moral and legal rights to speak for us in Ikeja at the lower legislative chambers.”

 
It further stated that the decision of the lawmaker to contest the governorship has impacted negatively on the representation of the area in the lower chambers, saying the trend must be reversed in the interest of the people of the area.

 
“You don’t need anyone to tell you that Hon. Faleke has been distracted from representing us at the House of Representatives, all that concerns him now is how to become the governor of Kogi State and not to represent us.”

 
INEC fails to act, we will compel them to do the needful using the judiciary.”

 

 

Credit : Vanguard

Offensive Odour In Chamber Forces Reps To Adjourn Plenary Till Nov 17

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Poor sanitary facilities including stinking toilets, a leaking roof, lack of water forced the House of Repre­sentatives to adjourn plenary abruptly due to an offensive odour which pervaded the chamber.

 

The overpowering stench made the environment un-conducive, following non-availability of water to take care of the toilets.

 

Deputy Speaker, Sulai­mon Yussuff Lasun, who presided at plenary, ad­journed sitting till Novem­ber 17 to allow an overhaul of the place, even as he as­sured his colleagues that the House Services Committee was handling the situation.

 

The member represent­ing Obubra/Etung Federal Constituency of Cross River State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Micheal Etaba raised a Point of Order where he lamented the entire environ­ment, both within and out­side the chamber, was full of offensive odour and that water was not running in his office.

 

He also told his colleagues that the chamber was not conducive as a result of the stench.

 

Lasun reiterated that the situation was being handled by the House Services Com­mittee and, thereafter, after exhausting motions on the day’s order paper, adjourned to next Tuesday.

 

Beside the persistent lack of water in the premises, monitors in the House do not show clearly, the cool­ing system is not function­ing well, microphones are no longer audible and, even the roof in the chamber is leaking.

 

Credit : Daily Sun