House to Consider Bill Seeking Establishment of Electoral Offences Commission

•Russia, Ukraine War: Lawmakers ask FG to reverse decision on degrees from online medical schools

Udora Orizu

The House of Representatives may this week consider for first and second reading a bill seeking the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission for the investigation and prosecution of electoral offenders.

This followed the adoption of a motion titled, ‘Rescission on Referral of a Bill for an Act to Establish Electoral Offences Commission and for Related Offences’ presented by Chairman Rules and Business, Hon. Hassan Fulata at yesterday’s plenary.

The lawmakers had at the plenary last week, stepped down the bill over sponsorship controversy.

Hon. John Dyegh had raised a point of order, informing the Speaker that he had sponsored the bill severally in previous and present Assembly, wondering why his bill was not among those consolidated.

He said, “I sponsored this same bill in previous assembly, it went through all the readings and got to the point of it being signed by Mr. President and the President referred it back for it to be included in the electoral act, it came back and was included, unfortunately it wasn’t signed.

“I brought it up again in this assembly and it was cleaned up, only remaining for the report to be taken and it was deliberately stepped down and I don’t understand. Today so many bills are coming up on the same matter.”

Gbajabiamila in his response agreed that Dyegh’s bill should be consolidated and his name added to the list of sponsors, hence the bill should be stepped down and presented again this week.

At the plenary, the Chairman Committee on Rules and Business, Fulata presented a motion of rescission to that effect for further consolidation of the proposed legislation to include Dyegh’s bill.

 He said, “Notes that on Wednesday 14 July 2021, a Bill for an Act to Establish Electoral Offences Commission: and for Related Matters was referred to the Committee of the Whole. Also notes that bills on the same subject matter are pending before the House, hence the need to rescind the resolution on the Bill to further consolidate with other Bills.”

Also at the plenary, the House in adopting a motion sponsored by Hon. Olukemi Taiwo urged the Federal Ministry of Information and Culture to establish Nigeria Television Authority in Lanlate, Ibarapa Area of Oyo State.

It also mandated the Committee on Information, National Orientation, Ethics and Values to ensure the establishment of NTA in Lanlate and report back within six weeks for further legislative action.

Russia, Ukraine War: House Asks FG to Reverse Decision on Degrees from Online Medical Schools

Meanwhile, the House of Representatives has called on the Medical and Dentistry Council of Nigeria (MDCN) to reverse its earlier decision by allowing Nigerian students in the sixth and final year of their programmes at various Ukrainian Medical schools, that have completed their final exams to register for the MDCN and allow them prove themselves.

The House also urged the MDCN to allow students in the fifth year of their medical programmes in Ukraine to be absorbed into Medical Schools in Nigerian universities.

It further urged the federal government through relevant MDAs, to discuss with Ukrainian authorities for universities to release the transcripts of years completed from year 1 to Year 6 (as applicable) for Nigerian students willing to transfer to medical schools in Nigeria or other nations.

The resolutions of the lawmakers were sequel to the adoption of a motion of urgent national importance sponsored by Hon. Tajudeen Yusuf, who sought for solution to the decision by the federal government rejecting the medical and dental degree certificates issued through online training by Medical Schools in Ukraine and other countries of the world.

Moving the motion, Yusuf noted with serious concerns the plight of Nigerian youths studying medicine, dentistry and similar courses in different universities in Ukraine, whose academic pursuits had been thrown into uncertainty, confusion and threats by the MDCN.

He observed that there are thousands of Nigerian youths studying medicine and related courses in Ukrainian universities, who by the MDCN regulation would not only be affected but their academic pursuits may be thrown into serious jeopardy.

According to him, by this policy, the MDCN intends to truncate the academic dreams of thousands of Nigeria medical students in Ukraine and if allowed to take effect, the overall consequences on Nigeria’s educational development, image amongst comity of nations and more would be staggering.

He said, “That the MDCN (the body which regulates Medical profession in Nigeria), through a statement on its Twitter handle declared that Medical and Dentistry degree certificates obtained from Ukrainian Universities from 2020 by Nigerians will NOT be honoured by the Council until when normal academic activities resume.

“Further notes that the MDCN in the same statement resolves not to recognise any online medical training (no matter how short) by Nigerian youths in Ukraine and any part of the world.”

Adopting the motion, the House mandated its Committees on Education Tertiary, Health Institutions and Foreign Affairs to engage with the leadership of the MDCN, the concerned Ukrainian Students’ Parents Forum Nigeria and other relevant MDAs to find lasting solutions to the challenge.