Reps inaugurate committee on basic education

The House of Representatives, on Tuesday, inaugurated its standing Committee on Basic Education.

The committee, which is made up of eminent members of the House, is headed by former Speaker, Taraba State House of Assembly and Member representing Takum/Ussa/Donga Federal Constituency, Mark Bako Useni.

Speaking at the inaugural meeting, Useni charged committee members and the National Assembly Bureaucracy to step up activities in achieving the legislative agenda of the Tajudeen Abbas-led House of Representatives.

He said, “We have a very big task ahead of us as committee members. I want to urge us to be very committed, to be deep in our thoughts to make sure that we bring the system out of the woods.

“This we can do by bringing about an effective legislative framework that will help to save the situation of basic education in Nigeria.

“You are also aware that, part of the legislative agenda of the 10th Assembly is to make sure that at the end of the day, basic education achieves a greater feat beyond where we are today.

“I want to therefore call on you, my colleagues on this committee, to make sure that we work assiduously to change the situation for the better. As your chairman, I want to assure you that mine would be a collegial approach. Together, we will put on our thinking caps to make sure that we bring new ideas that will help the situation.

“On this note, I want also to encourage the Secretariat of this committee to be up and doing in availing Members with very effective tools that can be deployed in making our legislative business in this committee a success”.

On his part, the Leader of the Labour Party Caucus and member representing Ogbaru Federal Constituency of Anambra State, Afam Victor Ogene, expressed optimism that the committee chairman would lead well and make Nigerians proud, at the end.

“I want to say that, speaking for myself, you have my loyalty. You have my dedication to do this work. I have perused the work plan. At least for the first quarter, which we are in, it could be the fourth quarter beginning from the year. But this is our own first quarter and why not going into that? Because I know that the time will come for his adoption.

“I want to also urge my colleagues that we should take this committee very, very seriously. Every committee is important. But like George Orwell pointed out, ‘all animals are equal, but some are more equal than the others’. These are one of those because of its impact on our young population and what we intend to achieve together,” Ogene added.