Rt. Hon. Abbas Tajudeen, Ph.D., Speaker of the House of Representatives, has stated that the Legislative Agenda of the 10th House, which is currently being worked out, will champion causes towards addressing the yearnings of Nigerians. This agenda is currently under development.
During his address at a meeting of stakeholders that was held in Abuja on Monday and was organised by the House’s Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Agenda, the Speaker stated that the parliament was ready to welcome citizens’ participation in the efforts that were being made to address the challenges that were facing the country.
Speaker Abbas remarked that it was a “critical stakeholders’ meeting” to gather input from citizens for the Legislative Agenda of the 10th House, and he emphasised the importance of the meeting.
He stated that “Our desire is to have a legislative agenda that meets the yearnings and aspirations of citizens and with which they would use as a benchmark to evaluate and assess our performance after four years.” He added that “Our desire is to have a legislative agenda that meets the yearnings and aspirations of citizens.” As a result, we shouldn’t approach today’s gathering as just another one of our regular chats. You should think of it as an important national assignment.
“There is no other way to show that the 10th House of Representatives is ready to respond, and urgently at that, to the yearnings of those who brought us to the people’s House to do the business of the people,” he pointed out. “There is no better way to show that the 10th House of Representatives is ready to respond, and urgently at that.”
He stated that maintaining the resolve of the House, as representatives of the people, to regularly consult citizens in the discharge of the mandate that had been given to the lawmakers was the purpose of the public engagement.
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On July 4, 2023, while the members of the House were returning from a brief break, the Speaker recalled that earlier that day, he had referred to the 10th House as “the House of the People.”
He made the following statement: “I equally promised that while it is the duty of the House to develop a Legislative Agenda for which our constituents will hold us accountable, the House would not hesitate to consult critical stakeholders in developing the agenda to elicit their input and areas of expectations, which is the reason we have gathered here this morning.”
Speaker Abbas made the observation that citizen participation is the central pillar of a representative democracy when he stated, “It is only through such engagements that legislators will become, truly, the representatives of the people. He went on to say that anything other than this would amount to a democracy devoid of its citizens.
The Speaker continued by mentioning that the forum had been organised by the Committee on Legislative Agenda as part of its assignment to find out from citizens what they consider to be the most urgent legislative need of the nation. He then said, “I urge the stakeholders gathered here, to make the most use of this significant opportunity.”
Speaker Abbas expressed his hope that the discussions would revolve around “the critical needs of our people at this time.”
In addition to this, the Speaker emphasised that the House would give priority attention to a participatory budgeting process and delivery, law reform, electoral reform, women’s participation and inclusion in governance, improved socio-economic conditions, entrepreneurship, employment, health and education, infrastructure, citizens-focused diplomacy, institutional capacity and citizens engagement, constitutional amendment and restructuring, and a number of other issues.
“Our engagement with citizens will extend beyond the consultation that is taking place today. The goal of the ‘Open NASS’ project, which is being undertaken by the 10th House of Representatives, is to return control of the legislature to the people who actually own it by means of engagements that are consistent, meaningful, and fruitful. This mandates that the people be consulted on a regular basis. Equally important, legislators need to have operational constituency offices in order to maintain consistent communication with their constituents.
Speaker Abbas expressed gratitude to the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC) as well as the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for their support of the National Assembly throughout the years, particularly for their support of the House on the Legislative Agenda. He also thanked those organisations for their backing of the Legislative Agenda.
Prof. Julius Ihonvbere, Majority Leader of the House and Chairman of the House Ad Hoc Committee on Legislative Agenda, stated earlier in his welcome address that the event marked “a pivotal moment in our nation’s history as we receive input to build a comprehensive blueprint to drive progress, prosperity, and inclusivity across our great nation.” Ihonvbere also noted that the event marked “a historic occasion” for the nation.
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He stated that the goal of the House for Nigeria is to create a prosperous and dynamic nation in which each individual citizen has the opportunity to live up to their full potential.
“We envision a Nigeria in which the economy is robust and diversified, infrastructure is of world-class quality, education is revolutionary, healthcare is available to all, and governance is open and accountable to the people. This vision is not limited to any one political party; rather, it represents the shared aspiration of each and every Nigerian,’ he explained.
The Chairman listed the five key pillars of the Legislative Agenda, which include healthcare for all, transparent governance and accountability, healthcare for all, infrastructure development, education and human capital development, and economic empowerment and diversification. The Chairman also listed economic empowerment and diversification as one of the key pillars of the Legislative Agenda.
Ihonvbere is quoted as having said, “As representatives of the people, we have been entrusted with the enormous responsibility of sculpting the path of development for our country.”
“The Legislative Agenda is a culmination of tireless efforts, broad consultations, and dedicated research that is aimed at addressing the critical challenges facing our nation while simultaneously seizing the abundant opportunities that lie ahead.”
