7Th House Of Reps: An Appraisal Of A Combative House
- Africcon News
Africcon Report: 7Th House Of Reps: An Appraisal Of A Combative House
Africcon New Media – News
From: Africcon Media – Nigeria
During the June 2011 inauguration ceremony of the Seventh NationalAssembly, the Speaker of the House of Representatives promised Nigerians that, “the Seventh Session of the House of Representatives (2011 – 2015) is determined to chart a new course of legislative business for the benefit of the people.
Riding on a triumphant wave after being elected Speaker of the House of Representatives against the wishes of the Peoples Democratic Party, it was a high spirited Tambuwal who unveiled what he described as a “legislative agenda” that would be a guide for the operation of the House.
The document stated that, “Over the next four years, the House of Representatives will pursue an aggressive legislative agenda to reposition itself as a key branch of government able and determined to deliver on the key elements of governance. We acknowledge that the House has had to navigate the difficult terrain of winning public trust and confidence and even being the champion of the peoples’ cause”.
The Seventh House of Representatives (HoR) (2011 - 2015) is committed to honour the faith and trust reposed in it by the Nigerian people and determined to chart a new course of legislative business for the benefit of the people. In this regard, a National Legislative Agenda for the Seventh House of Representatives seeks to reform the processes of the House, identify legislative priorities and outline a programme of action to achieve the set goals.
The Speaker also added that the legislature seeks to, through the, “aggressive legislative agenda, reposition itself as a key branch of government”; while acknowledging that, “the effort to establish the House as a major institution of democracy in the service of the Nigerian people, has proved to be slow and difficult”; and undertook, in partnership with the distinguished members of the Senate to “legislate for the common good and in the greater interest of the Nigerian people”, and to, “seek the cooperation of other arms of government, particularly the executive, in order to improve the living conditions of the people and make government more responsive to their needs.”
It also sought to, “institutionalise mechanisms that facilitate effective engagement with various stakeholders including constituents and civil society organisations (CSOs); while the economy, job creation, national security, anti-corruption, energy reform, poverty alleviation, millennium development goals and the reform of the constitution were listed as priority areas.
PUBLIC APPRAISAL
At a special session held Thursday to mark the second anniversary of the House, Tambuwal made it known IN A SELF ASSESSMENT, that the House has been able to make remarkable progress in half time. Describing it as ‘progress’, he said in his anniversary speech,”The 7th Assembly has operated its Legislative Agenda in the last two years with appreciable success but not without rather weak scores in some
However, independent assessment was given by some personalities who were guests at the special session. In what he titled “An appraisal of the legislative agenda of the House of Representatives, Mr Chidi Aselm Odinkalu, chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, scored the lawmakers high.
according to him, “This 7th House of Representatives of the National Assembly has been prolific on the legislative side of its business. By the numbers, it has strengthened public petitions, completing 42 out of 49 public petitions, with a completion rate of 85%; passed 57 bills with another 134 pending or undergoing legislative consideration; and conducts legislative business through 89 Committees. Some of the most prominent Bills so far passed include the
Terrorism Prevention Act of 2011 and its (Amendment) Bill of 2013;
Same Sex Marriage (Prohibition) Bill, 2013;
Violence against Persons (Prohibition) Bill, 2012;
Money Laundering (Prohibition) Act (Amendment) Bill, 2012
National Economic Intelligence Committee (Establishment) Act (Repeal) Bill 2012;
State of the Union Address Bill 2012;
Nigerians with Disabilities Bill, 2011;
National Climate Change Commission Bill 2011; and
Investment and Securities (Amendment) Bill, 2011”.
He continued, “You have innovated wisely in the design of the Standing Committees. For the first time, this House has a standing Committee on Reform of Government Institutions, better known as the Committee on Freedom of Information. The Committee structure on hydrocarbons has been reformed and now includes a Committee on Local Content; and the Committee structure in the area of justice, intelligence and national security is more comprehensive and inter-related.
The design of oversight appears to have been strengthened and become more focused. Oversight activities in aviation, Capital Market, Petroleum Subsidy, pension reform, and budget implementation, have at various times, captured public imagination and in some cases, not always for the right reasons.
“The governance of our economy has received serious attention. Co-operation with the Senate and the Executive ensured the passage of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) as the basis for governing our annual appropriations. The appropriation process itself has been reformed and 2013 was the first time in recent memory in which legislative business on the budget was accomplished in the preceding year. This does not make the process anywhere near perfect but indicates that we are capable of improving and refining it even further. Work is on-going to activate the National Assembly Budget and Research Office (NABRO)”.
But it was not all praises galore for the lawmakers. Odinkalu also pointed out areas where action has been slow.”You have done so much”, he said, “Yet so much remains to be done. There is a back breaking mountain of work still, waiting for your attention and action. Among many:
The Petroleum Industry Bill is now pending in committee. Hearings on the Bill have taken place in the six geo-political zones;
Electoral and Constitutional reforms are both under consideration as well. The constituency hearings on the constitution reform process were innovative and the public announcement of the outcomes kept faith with the Nigerian people;
In the power and energy sector, the Hydro-Electric Power Producing Areas Development Commission (Amendment) Bill, 2012, as well as the Clean Energy (Establishment) (Etc.) Bill of 2012 are presently pending in the committees as well.
In the security and justice sector, the Administration of Criminal Justice Bill is presently in Committee Stage while the Witness Protection Programme Bill is still pending; and
On jobs and labour, the Skills Acquisition and Development Trust Fund (Establishment) Bill is also pending.
Reviewing the Legislative Agenda, he dwelt on the monster insecurity in the country, stressing that “Under our constitution, the protection of public safety and security is explicitly declared to be “the primary purpose” of government. The integrity and security of Nigeria and of all who live in it has emerged quite evidently as a major challenge for our country in this parliament. To be effective in doing this, security deployments must respect the rights of people to peace in endangered communities. As a matter of urgency, oversight by this Honorable House of security operations needs to be improved and to be made more open”.
On the role of the House in boosting the welfare of men of security agencies to improve productivity, he said,”The situation of the Nigeria Police Force requires urgent attention. As a nation, we have not much cared nor looked after our police and its men and women. As a result, we have saddled other services with responsibilities that rightfully belong to the police. Legislative measures to transform policing have been pending before this House for a considerable time. It is time to pass them. We need an effective police force clothed with dignity and professionalism to help us find durable solutions to our internal security problems. We must help our police to protect us better and this House is well placed to provide leadership on this”.
Conducting a check against delivery, he said the House is also well placed to provide leadership on five other issues that define the landscape of our national security governance. “These are: elections; inequality and citizenship; climate change; small arms and border security, corruption and impunity for it.
Electoral reform is already under consideration in this House. As politicians, members are all interested in the rules of the game. But you are also more than merely politicians here: You are all also citizens of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. As such, your fate are tied to the fate of our country.
The issue of inequality and citizenship is important because the indigene-settler dichotomy has been the cause of much blood letting and undisguised trouble in our country. This is already a subject of attention in the constitution reform process. It requires both legislative attention and continuing political leadership and dialogue. The Diaspora and Foreign Affairs Committees must also address the abuses that Nigerians suffer outside our shores.
For those who wonder why climate change has become a national security issue for us, I would pose this question: Is it an accident that the two most ecologically fragile and endangered parts of our country”- the Sahelian frontiers of the Lake Chad Basin and the Mangrove and rainforest creeks of the Niger Delta - are also the two most deeply insecure? Only about 40% of our 923,000 Square Kilometers is arable and the greatest loss of arable territory has occurred in the Niger Delta due to hyrdo-carbon exploration and the Sahel due to the south-ward march of neo-Sahelian climate change. In northern Nigeria, it is estimated that about 29 million people live in the 10 states of Nigeria’s Sahelian fringes. As the Sahel spreads south-wards, populations affected by it migrate further south, increasing inter-communal tensions in the Middle Belt. We need urgent legislative leadership and action on climate change.
The traffic in small arms has also become a serious source of national security angst. The Firearms Act and the Explosives Act are inadequate for the challenges we confront. We need urgent legislative action to complement multilateral and international action to address this scourge and make our people safer.
In the Agenda, this Honorable House identified corruption and accountability as one of its seven priorities. This is probably the area in which this House has achieved the least and in which Nigerians justifiably believe that this House has been missing in action. Impunity for corruption is a major reason why we now have a national security crisis. Around the country and beyond, there is a perception that the fight against corruption is losing steam and the level of support from this House must be much stronger.
The “repositioning” of Parliament.
Speaking on one of the aims of the legislative agenda, which is to change the negative image the public perceive of the House, the Human Rights Commission chairman said, “The popular imagination will not be complete until Nigerians get the sense that this House is resolute in its fight against corruption, impunity and poverty.
This House must rise in unison and urgently too to show that it can accomplish this. One way to do this is to urgently pass the Bill on Civil Asset Forfeiture, at a time of great hardship in the country, Nigerians also seek greater transparency in the management and administration of the cost of running the affairs of government generally and of Parliament, in particular, including the emoluments of members. There needs to be greater openness in how this House manages its internal ethical processes.
Nigerians need to sec that this House has zero tolerance for corruption, its causes, and perpetrators. This House must also address the perception that oversight is sometimes abused or used in ways that diminish its utility and your collective dignity”
