PIB, Budget to Top House Agenda on Resumption

14 Sep 2012
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National Assembly Complex


Onwuka Nzeshi



Fresh and old issues are to engage the attention of the House of Representatives as it resumes plenary on Tuesday after its annual vacation that lasted eight weeks.

THISDAY checks revealed Thursday that the lawmakers, on resumption, are expected to take steps to ensure the full implementation of the 2012 Appropriation Act, in line with their resolution before they went on recess that the executive should ensure effective implementation of the budget before they return from recess.

The House is also expected to receive the 2013 Appropriation Bill, commence consideration of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) and resume work on the amendment to the 1999 Constitution, all pending issues before the recess.

THISDAY also learnt that the House would renew its agitation on the need for the Federal Government to approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for a possible review of its judgment on the Bakassi Peninsula that paved the way for Nigeria’s ceding of the oil-rich peninsula to Cameroun.

Also, one of the controversial issues the House will tackle after resumption of plenary is the plan by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to restructure the nation’s currency and introduce the N5,000 banknote.

The CBN on August 23, had unfolded plans for a new currency regime, under which the N5,000 note will be introduced while the N5, N10, N20 and N50 notes will be minted in coins.

Deputy Chairman, House Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Hon. Victor Ogene, confirmed yesterday that some of the issues would top the House agenda when it resumes on Tuesday, even as he dispelled speculations that the House was considering an extension of the holiday for another week.

Ogene, in a statement given to reporters in Abuja, said while the recess lasted, the various committees of the House and lawmakers were usefully engaged in legislative activities outside the chambers.

According to him, the lawmakers have been carrying out constituency outreach programmes where they interfaced with their constituents on the proposed constitution review process, the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB) as well as oversight on the 2012 budget.

Ogene hinted that these three issues, amongst others, would likely engage the attention of the House in the next couple of weeks.

Already, House Speaker, Hon. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, has instructed all standing committees of the House to undertake a through appraisal of the status of implementation of the 2012 Appropriation Act and report their findings to the House on or before resumption.

“This directive is in tandem with the unyielding desire of the 7th House of Representatives to ensure appropriate and timely implementation of the budget, so as to not only fast-track infrastructural development in the country, but also to re-flate the national economy currently bogged down by official lethargy,” Ogene said.

In a letter addressed to the chairmen of all standing committees, the House directed them to ascertain the level of implementation of the budget in the respective ministries, departments and agencies (MDAs) of government under their purview.

The House had at its last plenary, before embarking on the recess in July, passed a resolution urging President Goodluck Jonathan to direct the Minister of Finance to ensure the release of all funds due to the MDAs in respect of the 2012 budget and attain full implementation of the budget by September.

The resolution was the product of a controversial motion that saw some members of the House threatening to consider “drafting articles of impeachment” against Jonathan if the budget did not attain 100 per cent implementation by the time the lawmakers resumed from their annual vacation.

Although the impeachment threat was not part of the prayers of the substantive motion, the mere suggestion of the move propelled the executive arm of government into taking several actions geared towards fast tracking the implementation of the budget.

http://www.thisdaylive.com/articles/pib-budget-to-top-house-agenda-on-resumption/124950/

This is actually the koko of topics for the opening. Just hope FG listen for once.

THISDAY also learnt that the House would renew its agitation on the need for the Federal Government to approach the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for a possible review of its judgment on the Bakassi Peninsula that paved the way for Nigeria’s ceding of the oil-rich peninsula to Cameroun.