After COVID-19 break, legislative interventions, others await lawmakers

Ahead of today’s resumption of the National Assembly, dozens of bills and other legislative interventions have piled up, awaiting the attention of members of the parliament. The National Assembly had on March 24, adjourned plenary due to the spreading new coronavirus pandemic in the country. Before the federal lawmakers suspended legislative business, dozens of bills […]

Ahead of today’s resumption of the National Assembly, dozens of bills and other legislative interventions have piled up, awaiting the attention of members of the parliament.

The National Assembly had on March 24, adjourned plenary due to the spreading new coronavirus pandemic in the country.

Before the federal lawmakers suspended legislative business, dozens of bills expected to change the lives of Nigerians for the better, were at various stages of legislative process.

In the Senate, there are many constitution alteration bills, establishment bills and others. While some have passed first reading, some second, others await committee report after they were subjected to public hearing.

Among them are bills seeking to alter the provisions of the constitution to: raise the minimum academic qualifications for those aspiring for political offices; provide for the establishment of state police; make provision for independent candidates to contest in elections; establish separate tribunals to hear election petitions; establish the Electoral Offences Commission; and amend the Electoral Act to make election debate mandatory for presidential and governorship candidates.

There are also several other bills seeking to establish a development commission, federal colleges, universities, polytechnics, institutes and research centres.

Also, in the House of Representatives, there are bills seeking to alter the provisions of the constitution.

Among these are bills that seek to devolve to states some powers of the federal government and to raise the minimum academic qualification for elective offices.

There are several other bills that seek to amend or repeal Acts establishing federal agencies or departments and those seeking to establish new agencies, research centres and academic institutions.

Another important bill awaiting the legislators’ action is the Finance Act 2019 amendment bill.

The executive bill, which has passed second reading, seeks to amend the Finance Act to include animal feeds in the list of basic food items that are exempted from VAT.

The suspension has, however, brought nearly all parliamentary business, including bills and motions, to a standstill, with experts saying that the implications may be far-reaching especially at a time that there are several issues that need the legislature’s attention.

In the Senate, one of the most serious issues that await its attention is the report of the ad hoc committee on Nigeria security challenges chaired by Senate Leader Senator Abdullahi Yahaya.

The Senate had constituted the committee due to the rising security challenges in the country.

While Nigerians await the Red Chamber’s action on the report, the country witnessed several security breaches in different states by state and non-state actors, resulting in loss of lives.

The Executive Director of Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre (PLAC), Mr Clement Nwankwo, said there was a need for the legislature at all levels to consider putting in place mechanisms for the continuation of legislative responsibilities and constitutional obligations in the COVID-19 era.

“While members of the legislative houses at national and state levels are not immune from contracting the coronavirus disease, citizens expect the leadership of the legislative houses to come up with creative measures and technology compliant devices to carry out some level of legislative work commensurate with the demands of the time,” Nwankwo said.

While the resumption of the House of Representatives was announced on Sunday, that of the Senate was announced yesterday via a memo  by the Clerk of the Senate, Mr. Nelson Ayewo.

Meanwhile, the  House of Representatives has disclosed that, it will only  be holding plenary every Tuesday.

The office of the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila disclosed that the House is reconvening to consider and approve some key proposals by the Executive to jump start the country’s economy in the face of challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic.