Speaker Cautions against Bills Seeking Creation of New Agencies

Damilola Oyedele in Abuja
In the face of the ongoing economic recession being experienced in the country, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has cautioned members against pushing for legislation that will establish new agencies of government.

He urged the members to rather focus their attention on amendments that would strengthen existing agencies to address whatever gaps that are observed in the implementation of their mandates.

Dogara, while speaking when he declared open the public hearing organised by the House Committee on Information and National Orientation, Ethics and Values in Abuja yesterday, said the costs of establishing new agencies remained high.

“As a parliament, we must weigh very carefully the cost of setting up new government agencies especially during this period of economic recession. Sometimes instead of establishing new agencies, we may just amend the laws setting up similar existing agencies by incorporating the mandate of the new agencies in the old one. This is because to set up a new bureaucracy of the status of directors, offices, equipment may be unnecessary.”

The hearing is intended to analyse the contents of four bills which have passed second reading. They are: a Bill for an Act to amend the National Broadcasting Commission Act, a Bill for an Act to Provide for the Regulation and Conduct of Broadcasting Profession in Nigeria, a  Bill for an Act to Repeal Nigerian Films Corporation and Re-enact the Nigerian Films Commission and a  Bill for an Act to  Establish the National Agency for Ethics and Values.