House Holds Valedictory Session Ahead of Tenure End

•Says 510 bills, 2000 motions passed in four years 

•Declares 9th Assembly most productive in history

•Gbajabiamila laments inability to remove barriers against women 

•Highlights PIA, Electoral Act, police reforms, others achievements

Udora Orizu and Juliet Akoje in Abuja

The House of Representatives, yesterday, held its valedictory session, signalling the end of the ninth House, which began in 2019.

The session had former Speakers Ghali Na’Abba and Patricia Etteh in attendance. Na’Abba was Speaker from 1999 to 2003, while Etteh unceremoniously left office in 2007 after about five months.

The former presiding officers were ushered into the chamber following a motion moved by the leader of the House, Hon. Alhassan Doguwa (APC, Kano).

The emotional session had several lawmakers reminiscing on the four years they spent with one another. Love was expressed and apologies were tendered, as they took turns to speak.

Chairman, House Committee on Rules and Business, Hon. Abubakar Fulata, at the valedictory session, disclosed that the House passed a total of 510 bills and 2,000 motions in the last four years.

Fulata said the ninth House was the most productive of all assemblies in the history of the National Assembly, having processed 2,232 bills, out of which 52 were from the executive, 163 from the senate, and 2,017 were members bills.

He stated, “Out of these figures still, bills awaiting second reading are 1,197. Bills referred to committees, 581. Bills reported by the committees 275. Bills pending in the committee 308. Bills within the Committee of the Whole, 106. Bills laid on table awaiting consideration, 64. Bills far passed 510.

“Bills killed (negatived) 13, and bills withdrawn by their sponsors, five. The House also passed 2,000 motions in total.”

Fulata said, “Mr Speaker, all these could not have been achieved without your able leadership and that of your Deputy, Ahmed Idris Wase, who is also Chairman, Committee of the Whole.”

Earlier, in his valedictory speech, Speaker, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, pointed out the prominent achievements of the House in the last four years to include the Petroleum Industry Act (PIA), Electoral Act, 2022, and Police Reforms Acts.

Gbajabiamila said though the strategic importance of the oil and gas sector to Nigeria’s socioeconomic wellbeing had long been apparent, successive administrations failed to put in place a functional statutory regime to allow the sector to function optimally. 

He said the ninth assembly ended that “legacy of lethargy” with the passage of the PIA and the Deep Offshore and Inland Basin Production Sharing Contracts Act, which further put the sector on the right footing. 

Gbajabiamila noted that the House passed the Police Act to change the nature of relations between the police and citizens and ensure that police officers, who fell short of their responsibilities could be quickly held accountable. 

The speaker also said the ninth assembly appropriated the sum of N500 million through the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to compensate victims of police brutality nationwide. 

Gbajabiamila, however, said he regretted that the ninth Assembly did not succeed in removing some of the constitutional barriers that had long stood in the way of women’s full and unhindered participation in the politics, governance and economy of the country. He urged the 10th House to take up the mantle and do better.

Gbajabiamila said the ninth House, with unwavering courage and determination, defended the rights and dignity of the Nigerian people abroad from every attempt to dehumanise and victimise them.

He lamented that too many young Nigerians had lost faith in the country and were choosing in droves to seek their fortunes and their futures in other lands. He added that the country was losing some of its best and brightest, and if leaders did not act now, the consequences of this loss would shortly become painfully evident.

Gbajabiamila formally informed his colleagues of his appointment by President Bola Tinubu as Chief of Staff and pledged to work in collaboration with the legislature, which he was a product of.

He stated, “Our legacy also includes the comprehensive electoral reforms in the Electoral Act that have changed forever for good the way we conduct elections in Nigeria. While we recognise the need to continue to work to improve election management in Nigeria, we must acknowledge the vast improvements that have happened since the return to democracy. And we take pride in our contribution to these improvements over the last four years.

“Through the constitutional review process, the House of Representatives sought to restructure our government to make it more effective, reorganise our politics to make it more inclusive, enshrine efficient mechanisms for holding the institutions of state to account and put an end to the debilitating conflicts that even now continue to tear our nation apart. 

“Our interventions on behalf of Nigerians in China during the pandemic put an end to recurrent incidents of abuse, just as our efforts on behalf of Nigerians in South Africa and Ghana caused the governments of those nations to step up action to protect the lives and property of our citizens in those countries.

“From Ghana to South Africa, from China to the United States of America, we made it clear that this parliament will defend the rights of our citizens to conduct their legitimate businesses without fear of molestation and that the wellbeing of Nigerians remains our business, whether home or abroad.”

Chairman, Committee on Finance, Hon. James Faleke, said, “We were able to pass so many amendments to our laws. So many Finance Acts that have seen the increase in our revenue from N5.2 trillion in 2019 to about N10.1 trillion in 2022.”

Outgoing chairman of the House Committee on Tertiary Education, Hon. Aminu Suleiman, said Gbajabiamila saved the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) from proscription during the union’s nine-month strike action.

Contributing, Hon. Julius Ihonvbere said, “Mr Speaker, in your new role, your challenges will be more than what you face here because those pains, those broken dreams that you spoke about are still there. In many cases they are worse. So, we plead with you not to abandon the spirit of vision, commitment, of believing that a country requires the kind of leaders that will have that ability to have a sense of nation and vision.”

Chairman, Committee on Judiciary, Hon. Onofiok Luke, made a case for salary increase for judicial officers.

Luke said, “Mr Speaker, you gave me a responsibility as Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Judiciary. Mr Speaker, in your new role, we have not been able to reach the el dorado.

“The judicial officers of this country are still wallowing in their poor working and living conditions. Mr Speaker, the last salary review for the judicial officers in this country was about 14 years ago and every effort to increase their salaries ended in futility. So, I want to urge you, Sir, to take up the issue of judiciary.”

Earlier, Etteh, in her long remarks, said, “First and foremost, I have always been praying that God should give us a president of this nature, someone that has passed through the legislative arm of government. Who says God is not answering prayers. God answered my prayers and the prayers of others, for giving us somebody who has really passed through this National Assembly, not only one. I asked for one, but God gave us three.

“He gave us three because he knows we have been yearning it for it. We want somebody that really appreciates Nigerians. There is no one that would pass through the National Assembly or any legislative arm of government that would not appreciate Nigerians because we are the people that listen to the yearnings of this nation. Give me one trillion naira, I would still prefer to come to the legislative arm anytime.”