Strong indications have emerged that standing and ad hoc committees of the House of Representatives will
get new rules, modalities and terms of reference when the National Assembly resumes from recess.
Whatsupblog9ja reliably learnt on Monday that the leadership of the House would create the new rules in a move to prevent the recurrence of the embarrassment caused by the recent and ongoing activities of its panels.
It was gathered that the new rules would, among other things, check highhandedness by chairmen of committees when engaging the heads of ministries, departments and agencies of the Federal Government.
The leadership is also considering forcing panels to conclude probes and assignments within specific time, while the chairmen must carry the vice-chairmen and other members along.
A top official close to the leadership of the House, in a chat with our correspondent, disclosed that the recent developments were ridiculing the parliament.
The source, who spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorised to talk about the plan, noted that committees had been breaking the Standing Rules of the House, while carrying out the responsibilities assigned to them.
The source said, “Standing committees will assert their role above ad hoc committees. The era where ad hoc committees will stay beyond their timeframe and perpetually elongate the duration of their assignment without recourse to the chamber will be checked.”
The House Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements has been probing external loans and commercial agreements between Nigeria and other countries, especially China.
The development was said to have caused a clash among the lawmakers as the committees on Finance and Aids, Loans and Debt Management were allegedly sidelined from the exercise against the resolution by the House.
A member of the House, Wole Oke, had also accused the Chairman of the Committee on Treaties, Protocols and Agreements, Nicholas Ossai, of going beyond the terms of reference of the panel to take over the responsibility of other committees.
The leadership of the House, however, on August 19, 2020, suspended all activities by its standing and ad hoc committees.
The Majority Leader, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, said it was a decision by the leadership of the House.
The National Assembly is scheduled to resume plenary on September 15, 2020, after a two-month annual recess.
Meanwhile, the Speaker, Femi Gbajabiamila, on Monday denied that the House had been completely shut down, stating that only committees were barred from holding public and investigative hearings.
According to him, the lawmakers are still carrying out their oversight functions on the MDAs.
Gbajabiamila spoke after a meeting of the All Progressives Congress called by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the State House.
A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Speaker, Lanre Lasisi, titled, ‘Recess: House Activities Not Totally Shut Down, Says Gbajabiamila…Says Oversight Function Still Ongoing,’ quoted Gbajabiamila as correcting the impression that the House totally shut down its activities during the annual recess.
The Speaker also explained that the House had not breached any law or known convention by embarking on an annual recess, while recalling that members were working during the recess until when it became necessary to suspend public hearings.
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