On September 20, 2023, the 10th National Assembly will have been in session for 100 days and a new leadership will have been elected. TONY AKOWE examines the House’s activities thus far.
Since its inception on June 13, the House of Representatives has only had fifteen sittings, passing approximately 173 motions on notice and a few others as motions of urgent national concern. In addition, approximately 468 legislation have been brought to the House for first reading, while a few other bills that were passed by the 9th Assembly but did not receive Senate concurrence or were not signed by the President have been reintroduced in accordance with the House’s standing rule. Such legislation have been referred to the committee of the whole for review and discussion. This means that such proposals will not be subjected to the rigours of second reading and public hearing before being passed. The Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria (repeal and re-enactment) bill and the Niger Delta Development Commission bill are two such laws that the House has already passed. A thorough examination of the bills that have already been introduced reveals that many of them have been recirculated from the previous Assembly. While some are being recirculated by members who sponsored them in the 9th Assembly, others are being recirculated by lawmakers who had no connection with them in the 9th Assembly. During the same time period, the House launched over 40 inquiries into various aspects of the country’s governance. It was revealed that some of the topics of investigation have already been investigated by the 9th Assembly, with no tangible results, prompting Nigerians to question whether the investigations are merely a wild goose chase or whether they are really necessary at all.
Many of the current investigations were initiated on the Speaker’s behalf by the Deputy Speaker, Benjamin Okezie Kalu. Some of them are the investigation into job racketeering in government Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, as well as the mismanagement of the Integrated Personnel Payroll and Information System (IPPIS), the non-remittance of deductions from workers’ salaries for the National Housing Fund and the mismanagement of the proceeds, the abuse of tax waivers by both public and private organisations, and a slew of others. Despite the fact that all ad hoc committees were given four weeks to submit their results, it was unclear whether all of them had begun their work, as some decided to conduct their investigations behind closed doors. For example, the committee tasked with reviewing agencies that fail to comply with the Industrial Training Fund Act held all of its meetings behind closed doors, away from the media. After their initial meeting, the committee investigating the Great Green Wall attempted to exclude journalists from their investigations for unexplained reasons. According to a committee clerk, the committee chairman did not order him to invite the media since “it is not for media coverage.” This is despite the Speaker’s assurance that the 10th Assembly will be an open parliament. Others have been compromised as a result of controversies and hushed allegations against members. For example, a contractor awarded a 42-kilometer road contract in Oyo state is accusing a female member of the House of working with a Federal Ministry of Works official to deny them the contract, revoke it, and award it to another contractor after increasing the contract sum from N9 billion to about N54 billion. He further claims that the politician has been acting as a go-between for another contractor to secure the project. The lawmaker who initiated the investigation, as well as Ministry officials, have refuted this claim.
Hon. On June 13, 2023, he will be sworn in as Speaker of the Tenth House of Representatives. Tajudeen Abbas, who received the most votes in the House’s history to become Speaker, informed his colleagues that “this victory is not just about me; it is about all of us coming together as a united House to serve the Nigerian people diligently.” It is about living up to the trust placed in us and working relentlessly to deliver on our promises of good government and effective representation. It is worth noting that the recent speakership campaign was a display of democracy at work. But today, all of that has happened, and it is time to go on and work together for the welfare of our people. I do not accept the mandate conferred upon me as Nigerian Speaker lightly. I want to promise you now that I will be kind and fair to all of you, regardless of our perceived differences.” He also stated that “under my leadership, the 10th House will sustain and even exceed the gains of the 9th House.” That is my hope. We will work together to complete the TASK at hand. We would implement changes and innovations to benefit Nigerians. We’ll be rolling out the legislative agenda that will form the 10th House of Representatives in a few weeks.”
Abbas realised the challenges faced the nation when he assumed control of one of the most essential arms of government. “We stand at a critical juncture in our nation’s history, where challenges abound, but so do opportunities,” he stated tonight. We shall advocate for legislation that will improve the lives of our fellow citizens, promote social fairness, and propel long-term growth. The 10th House will promote entrepreneurship and help small and medium-sized businesses through legislation. We will diversify our economy and create long-term job possibilities for our youth. We are aware of the difficulties that our education, healthcare, and infrastructure sectors, among others, face. We hold our separate positions in trust for the people of Nigeria. We MUST, therefore, validate the trust placed in us by our constituents to represent their interests and fight tirelessly for our beloved country. I collaborate closely with my deputy, Rt. Hon. We will deliver purposeful leadership in the 10th House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu.”
One question that Nigerians are asking 100 days after this solemn vow and after receiving the mandate to head the House is whether the House has showed any sign of helping to get the country out of its current rut. With over 40 investigations underway in the House, many of which have been conducted behind closed doors in violation of the promise of an open National Assembly, it may be fair to assume the motion has gone unnoticed. The House has taken two breaks in less than a hundred days. The first began two days after their inauguration and will last two weeks, while the second, which is still ongoing, began on July 27 and will end on September 26. It is interesting, however, to note that the two-month hiatus is the parliamentarians’ yearly holiday. However, many of them were unable to take their vacation because they were required to attend investigation hearings by various ad hoc committees. Unfortunately, there appears to be an attempt by major stakeholders in and out of government to stymie the work of the ad hoc committees, since many of them have stayed absent, despite the fact that mind-boggling revelations are being made on a daily basis. Threats of arrest have not deterred those who are supposed to come.
In terms of interventions, the House got off to a good start, attempting to guarantee that the strike called by Resident Doctors did not go forward. The Speaker summoned them to address their predicament and obtained an assurance from them that they would not go on strike. While asking for two weeks to resolve their concerns and promising to take their concerns to the President, the Speaker also formed a high-powered committee led by the House Leader to continue the engagement with the Doctors. He then met with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on the subject two days later. Unfortunately, while this was going on, the young doctors changed their minds and began their strike. The action disappointed both the House and the Speaker. It is unknown how far the committee has progressed in resolving the doctors’ concerns. In addition to issuing press comments, the House did not appear when the Nigeria Labour Congress called.
But one thing that many members were looking forward to before the House went on recess was the makeup and leadership of committees. The exercise no certainly frustrated some politicians while making others happy. However, the increase in the number of committees was not anticipated by many. The rise from 109 to 134 committees in the 9th Assembly has many people wondering what some of the committees will perform. For example, in the 9th Assembly, the Education Committees were increased from two (Basic and Tertiary) to six, with Tertiary Education taking four committees (University Education, Federal Polytechnic, Federal Colleges of Education, and TETfund) and Basic Education having two (Basic and Basic Education Examination Board). Some other committees have been split down to form smaller committees, which many have suggested will be ineffectual in light of the Speaker’s assurance that the subject of oversight will be taken seriously.
The Banking and Currency Committee was divided into three sections: Banking Regulations, Banking Institutions, and Digital and Electronic Banking, while the Science and Technology Committee was divided into three sections: Science and Technology, Science Research Institutions, and Science Engineering. While some say that adding more committees will improve the parliament’s oversight function, others contend that too many committees are unnecessary to fulfil the goal that they have set for themselves. A thorough examination of the committees indicated that around 11 of the 17 women in the house were appointed Committee Chairmen, while three were appointed Deputy Chairmen. Three others, on the other hand, did not receive any committee leadership positions.
One notable feature of the House under Abbas’ leadership is the friendly interaction that exists among members regardless of party affiliation. Some claim that this is a continuation of the 9th Assembly’s practise. Surprisingly, the 10th House has the highest concentration of political parties in the National Assembly’s history, with around eight political parties. The Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party, New Nigeria People’s Party, African Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party, Young People’s Party, and All Progressive Grand Alliance are all members of the 10th Assembly and have worked together in a way that suggests the Assembly is made up of a single political party. Despite this, the opposition has not been muzzled or trampled on, and has come out firmly to make their views heard.
The House has also been able to distance itself from considerable external influence, particularly in terms of leadership selection. Long before the Speaker and his Deputy emerged, the opposition had agreed on their leadership without allowing parties to impose leaders on them. While the APC waited for their own party officials to come up with a zoning agreement, members convened and chose who their leaders should be if the party did not. Even while this did not sit well with the party’s leadership, the House Leadership stayed firm.
The Speaker, who sponsored the most measures in the 9th Assembly, has demonstrated a determination to lead the House’s legislative business from the front. The Speaker and his Deputy have sponsored the most measures in the House thus far, with some of the bills proving to be landmark bills that will have a significant impact on the nation if passed and signed into law. The Road bill, which was reintroduced by the 9th Assembly, is one of them. Its goal is to provide cash for the repair of federal roadways. However, the House has approved into law four measures that were rolled over from the 9th Assembly, and the President has signed two of these bills into law. The Electricity Act Amendment Bill, the Defence Industries Corporation of Nigeria Act (Repeal and reenactment) Bill, the 2022 Supplementary Appropriation Act (Amendment) Bill, and the Niger Delta Development Commission Act (Amendment) Bill are among the laws passed. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has signed the extra appropriation act and the NDDC modification act, among others. However, the passage of the additional appropriation has not been without controversy, with many alleging that the legislature approved N70 billion for itself as a palliative. This argument was presented by those who debated it since the President’s supplemental appropriation was intended to provide relief to Nigerians as a result of the subsidy reduction. However, many people are unaware that the N70 billion allocated by the National Assembly was not for palliatives. This argument was pushed by the Nigeria Labour Congress, through its
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Christopher Onyeka, Assistant General Secretary. Onyeka said that the Executive arm had given N100 million in palliatives to National Assembly members. However, Akin Rotimi, a spokesman for the House, refuted the claim, saying, “this claim is baseless and devoid of any factual accuracy.” A functional democracy requires transparency and truth in public dialogue. While we doubt Mr. Onyeka was presenting the NLC’s official position on this assertion, it is nonetheless vital to refute such disinformation. We firmly deny Mr. Onyeka’s assertion that National Assembly members were handed N100 million as palliatives. To be clear, Members of the House of Representatives received no money from the Executive Branch as palliatives. As a result, we regard this remark as spiteful, reckless, and in poor faith. We believe it is irresponsible and sad that Mr. Onyeka would falsify facts in order to give weight to otherwise genuine NLC demands, while also aiming to disparage the National Assembly and incite public opposition to the institution.
Rotimi went on to say that “in less than 100 days of the 10th Assembly’s tenure, we have demonstrated our commitment to the welfare of Nigerian workers and all Nigerians.” In addition to other measures, the House of Representatives acted quickly on the Executive Arm of Government’s request for approval of monies for palliative care for Nigerians. We have also continuously urged the Executive to hasten these palliative measures in order to reach vulnerable Nigerians in an effective and efficient manner, and we have joined the call for a quick review of the minimum wage. We would like to invite the NLC to consider the National Assembly as a partner rather than an adversary. The House of Representatives’ 10th Assembly desires to reassure Nigerians that we remain committed to improving the well-being of our citizens. We sympathise with all Nigerians because of the pains being felt as a result of the removal of the fuel subsidy, and we will continue to compel the Executive to expedite measures to alleviate Nigerians’ pains at this time, as well as work with all stakeholders to rebuild our country so that no Nigerian is left behind.”
Leader of the House, Prof. Julius Ihonbvare, stated that they are ready to make a difference and progress the course of Nigeria and Nigerians. “There is total commitment in the 10th Assembly to join hands with the executive and other branches of government to reposition and rebuild this country,” he said. It will not be founded on confrontation, but on mutual understanding and exchange of ideas, mutual respect, and a commitment to doing the right thing. Nothing the NNPC does will fail to pique the public’s curiosity. This is an extremely important one. You might have made the finest decision.”
