ABUJA (Sundiata Post) – Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has disclosed that the House would commence debate on the 8th Assembly Legislative Agenda next week.
A statement issued by his spokesman, Hassan Turaki and made available to Sundiata Post on Thursday, said the speaker made this known when he received the draft 8th Assembly Legislative Agenda from the committee of members and experts he commissioned few days ago.
“As early as next week we will debate the legislative agenda and adopt the final version,” he said.
Dogara informed the panel that the 8th House under his leadership “will do everything possible to implement the legislative agenda even if it means setting up a substantive committee. This will define the character of the 8th Assembly.”
The speaker also lamented a situation whereby revenue generating agencies of the Federal Government hide under laws establishing them to withhold monies they generate.
He said even though some laws have allowed the Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDAs) to retain certain percentage of the revenue they generate, there is the need to review those laws in order to plug the leakages because most of them do declare less than what they earn.
Dogara further advocated for prudent management of the nation’s foreign reserve in such a manner that interests accrued are declared by the foreign fund managers which may be running into hundreds of millions of dollars.
Another key area that came up for discussion was the issue of donor funding with some committee members disclosing that between 10 to 17 percent of some ministries’ budgets are funded through foreign aid.
Some members of the committee also lamented that in most cases, the funds are neither reflected in the annual Appropriation Bill, nor are they declared by the affected ministries and departments.
The draft legislative agenda is proposing for the introduction of sectoral debate, the conduct of legislative needs assessment of the House of Representatives by experts and restructuring of the House standing committees, among others.[pro_ad_display_adzone id=”70560″]
Dogara had on Tuesday inaugurated the 22-man committee under the chairmanship of C. J. Osman with Hon. C.I.D Maduabum, Aisha Dukku, Abdulsamad Dasuki, Shehu Garba Sarkin Noma, Zakari Mohammed, O.K. Chinda, Toby Okechukwu, Princess Adedoyin, Ahmed Yerima and Ibrahim Baba as members.
Others include Hon Adeyinka Ajayi, Ahman Pategi, Adetunji Ajabge, Clement Nwankwo, Mansur Jarkasa, Mrs. Omotayo Brimmo, Enoch Jarumi, Mrs. Cordelia Akunwafor, Professor J. O. Amupitan SAN, and Oscar Okoro.
The House which has been on two weeks recess is billed to resume next week.
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