By Salisu Sani-Idris
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 News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 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 meets 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.
He said that the retreat offered an opportunity for the house to reflect and engage members on how they could collectively, as the legislature, contribute to the attainment of the 8-point agenda of President Bola Tinubu as expressed in the Renewed Hope Agenda.
“I am happy that the leadership of the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) has carefully chosen topics that include Agenda-Setting for the 10th National Assembly.
“These perspectives are vital as they reinforce the need for the 10th National Assembly to operate as one legislature, drawing its initiatives from a central perspective for the 10th National Assembly and not as separate entities in that regard,” he said.
Tajudeen described the retreat as timely and commended NILDS for providing the platform.
“As we prepare for resumption after the annual recess, this retreat provides an opportunity to share valuable ideas and experiences that will further reinforce our capacity to do the Peoples work at whose behest and command we were elected.
“There is no gainsaying the fact that the 10th NASS appears to be the most challenged in our nation’s democratic experience.
“It witnessed the highest legislative turnover since 1999 with the election of a majority of new members in the two chambers,” he said.
He said that the composition of the 10th NASS was also very diverse, with many political parties having formidable memberships. (NAN)
